Carnivore
Channel: all the knowledge of the universe PRINCIPIA
Date: 2021-12-09

Carnivore, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=6543 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Biological_interactions
#Carnivory
#Animals_by_eating_behaviors
#Ethology
#Meat
Lions are obligate carnivores consuming only animal flesh for their nutritional requirements A carnivore /ˈkɑːrnɪvɔːr/, meaning "meat eater" （Latin, caro, genitive carnis, meaning "meat" or "flesh" and vorare meaning "to devour"）,
is an animal whose food and energy requirements derive solely from animal products （mainly muscle, fat and other soft tissues） whether through hunting or scavenging.
Animals that depend solely on animal flesh for their nutrient requirements are called hypercarnivores or obligate carnivores, while those that also consume non-animal food are called mesocarnivores or facultative carnivores.
Omnivores also consume both animal and non-animal food, and apart from the more general definition, there is no clearly defined ratio of plant vs.
animal material that would distinguish a facultative carnivore from an omnivore.
A carnivore at the top of the food chain, not preyed upon by other animals, is termed an apex predator.
"Carnivore" also may refer to the mammalian order Carnivora, but this is somewhat misleading: many, but not all, Carnivora are meat eaters, and even fewer are true obligate carnivores （see below）.
For example, while the Arctic polar bear eats meat almost exclusively （more than 90% of its diet is meat）, most species of bears are omnivorous, and the giant panda is almost exclusively herbivorous.
There are also many carnivorous species that are not members of Carnivora.
The correct term for mammals in this group is "carnivoran".
Besides, some mammals, especially the cetaceans, are highly carnivorous yet are not true Carnivorans.
Outside the animal kingdom, there are several genera containing carnivorous plants （predominantly insectivores） and several phyla containing carnivorous fungi （preying mostly on microscopic invertebrates such as nematodes, amoebae and springtails）.
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