Carnivorous animals, as the name implies, are those individuals that feed predominantly on meat. They are considered predators, as they remove individuals from the population by capturing them for this purpose. Such animals feed on herbivores, but they may also have individuals with the same habit as a nutritional source. Thus, they can be secondary consumers, in the first case, or tertiary in the other cases.
Some carnivores chase their prey alone: a strategy that may not be as effective as a group hunt. Thus, animals such as lions and hyenas and some species of ants prefer to unite to capture more food and without taking great risks to their lives (or to return from hunting without food).
Adaptations, such as teeth that allow them to bite prey and tear their flesh, are essential for them to play this ecological role. Sharp claws and beaks, in the case of some birds, facilitate this same process; and the jaws of certain snakes have the ability to widen and shift in order for food to be swallowed. Well-developed smell and hearing make it easy to find food.
To avoid predation, prey can use strategies such as hiding, warning or fighting bravely.
Like herbivores and omnivores, carnivores play an important role in the population control of other species.
Curiosity: carnivorous plants are considered predators: secondary consumers.
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By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
Brazil School Team
Know more!
omnivorous animals
herbivorous animals
Mimicry
Predatism
Animals - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ARAGUAIA, Mariana. "Carnivorous Animals"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/animais/carnivoro.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
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