Carnivory

thumb|A slug, Arion vulgaris, eating a dead individual of the same species Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well documented, both in ancient and in recent times.

thumb|Lion|Lions are obligate carnivores, since they consume only animal flesh for their nutritional requirements.

thumb|This aardwolf skull exhibits greatly reduced molars and [[carnassials teeth as they are unnecessary for any large, insectivorous animal subsisting on soft insects such as termites. The dentition of a shrew is very different. The aardwolf uses its canine teeth in self-defence; accordingly, they have not been greatly reduced.]] thumb|A Asilidae|robber fly eating a [[hoverfly]] thumb|The giant anteater, a large insectivorous mammal

thumb|Robber fly feeding on [[wasp]] thumb|Fried Saturniidae|saturniid [[caterpillars being served on bread for human consumption in Burkina Faso in 2015]]

thumb|250px|right|An Anopheles stephensi mosquito obtaining a blood meal from a human host through its pointed proboscis. Note the droplet of blood being expelled from the engorged abdomen. This mosquito is a malarial vector with a distribution that ranges from Egypt to China. thumb|A bedbug thumb|Two butterflies of the genus Erebia sucking fresh blood from a sock

Carnism is a concept used in discussions of humanity's relation to other animals, defined as a prevailing ideology in which people support the use and consumption of animal products, especially meat. Carnism is presented as a dominant belief system supported by a variety of defense mechanisms and mostly unchallenged assumptions. As a dominant ideological system of which meat consumption and animal exploitation are a part, it prescribes norms and beliefs about animal treatment. The term carnism was coined by social psychologist and author Melanie Joy in 2001 and popularized by her book Why We

thumb|Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) eating a [[catfish]] thumb|An Atlantic puffin with a mouth full of [[lesser sand eels]]

thumb|Carnassials of a dog

right|300px|thumb|The lion, like all felids in their natural state, is a hypercarnivore. right|300px|thumb|All snakes, such as this king cobra, are hypercarnivores.

thumb|upright=1.35|Adaptations for myrmecophagy in mammals, such as long tongues and strong digging forelimbs, have [[evolved convergently at least 12 times.]] Myrmecophagy (from Ancient Greek μύρμηξ múrmēx, 'ant', and φαγεῖν phageîn, 'to eat') is a feeding behavior in animals, defined by the consumption of termites or ants—particularly as pertaining to those animal species whose diets are largely, or completely, composed of these insect types. Notable myrmecophages include the three genera of anteaters, aardvarks, numbats, echidnas, some armadillos, and pangolins, as well as some members of t

fungus which traps and eats tiny animals

thumb|200px|Pacific brown salamander eating a worm Vermivore (from Latin vermi, meaning "worm" and vorare, "to devour") is a zoological term for animals that primarily eat worms (including annelids, nematodes, and other worm-like animals). Animals with such a diet are known to be vermivorous. Some definitions are less exclusive with respect to the diet, but limit the definition to particular animals, e.g. "Feeding on worms or insect vermin. Used of a bird."

thumb|American kestrel eating bird. An avivore is a specialized predator of birds, with birds making up a large proportion of its diet. Such bird-eating animals come from a range of groups.

thumb|Desert spider, Stegodyphus lineatus, one of the best-described species that participates in matriphagy

A molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specialises in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods and cephalopods. Known molluscivores include numerous predatory (and often cannibalistic) molluscs, (e.g. octopuses, murexes, decollate snails and oyster drills), arthropods such as crabs and firefly larvae, and vertebrates such as fish, birds and mammals. Molluscivory is performed in a variety of ways with some animals highly adapted to this method of feeding. A similar behaviour, durophagy, describes the feeding of animals that consume hard-shelled or exoskeleton bearing o

Ophiophagy (Greek: , ) is a specialized form of feeding or alimentary behavior of animals which hunt and eat snakes. There are ophiophagous mammals (such as the skunks and the mongooses), birds (such as snake eagles, the secretarybird, coucals and some hawks), lizards (such as the common collared lizard), and even other snakes, such as the Central and South American mussuranas and the North American common kingsnake. The venomous king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is also named for this habit.

thumb|300px|right|A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has caught a rodent—an example of a mesocarnivore

Lepidophagy is a specialised feeding behaviour in fish that involves eating the scales of other fish. Lepidophagy is widespread, having evolved independently in at least five freshwater families and seven marine families. A related feeding behavior among fish is pterygophagy: feeding on the fins of other fish.

thumb|The orange chromide, (Pseudetroplus maculatus) will feed on eggs Paedophagy (literally meaning the "consumption of children") in its general form is the feeding behaviour of fish or other animals whose diet is partially, or primarily the eggs or larvae of other animals. However, P. H. Greenwood, who was the first to describe paedophagia, defines it to be a feeding behaviour evolved among cichlid fishes.

thumb|upright=1.5|A black bear eating dandelions – an example of a hypocarnivore A hypocarnivore is an animal that consumes less than 30% meat for its diet, the majority of which consists of fungi, fruits, and other plant material. Examples of living hypocarnivores are the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), black bear (Ursus americanus), binturong (Arctictis binturong) and kinkajou (Potos flavus)

Mucophagy (literally "mucus feeding") is defined as the act of feeding on mucus of fishes or invertebrates. Also, it may refer to consumption of mucus or dried mucus in primates.

practice of eating animals that are stll alive

killing and sometimes eating of potential competitors

thumb|Hawksbill sea turtle, a spongivore A spongivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating animals of the phylum Porifera, commonly called sea sponges, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their diet, spongivore animals like the hawksbill turtle have developed sharp, narrow bird-like beak that allows them to reach within crevices on the reef to obtain sponges.

thumb|Yellow longnose butterflyfish browsing on coral polyps

thumb|right|Jaws and teeth of Rhinoptera bonasus (cownose ray) Durophagy is the eating behavior of animals that consume hard-shelled or exoskeleton-bearing organisms, such as corals, shelled mollusks, or crabs. It is mostly used to describe fish, but is also used when describing reptiles, including fossil turtles, placodonts, some mosasaurs and extinct crocodylians, invertebrates, as well as "bone-crushing" mammalian carnivores such as hyenas. Durophagy requires special adaptions, such as blunt, strong teeth and a heavy jaw. Bite force is necessary to overcome the physical constraints of consu

feeding strategy in animals