Carnivorous animals

The  carnivorous animals are those organisms which they obtain food and energy through the intake main meat.

Definition of carnivorous animals

The animal world is diverse and complex. For their subsistence, the creatures that inhabit it depend on their food sources to survive. Food is necessary for nutrition, for energy capture. However, it also fulfills another function within the ecological system . So that a system is not overloaded, it needs constant updating. It must be cleaned and purified of impurities and excesses that corrupt it. Such is the example we see in overpopulation processes. An excessive level of population generates a directly proportional drain on its resources. It is known that resources are limited, and that for a system to be maintained, the management of the latter is their primary task.

The carnivorous animals are part of the ways in which the system handles such management. It would be the creatures whose food is in the meats . There are several names that can be given, since they also have many types. Not all these animals are of pure tendency; there may be variants. Here are some of its characteristics …

Characteristics of carnivorous animals

The main characteristics of carnivorous animals are the following:

• Each organism of this type has some instrument evolutionarily designed for the purposes of its feeding . Some develop matching teeth , while others develop claws at the end.
• In general , these would be the specimens that are at the highest points of the food chain. Some of these animals become super predators .
• Their classification varies depending on their diet and the instruments used for their feeding .
• Rule generally , the carnivores have a digestive system of smaller dimensions .
• Their teeth (if they have one) usually have the characteristic of having some canines . This is usually due to the usefulness they present when preying on their prey.
• It is common to find in many carnivores a body design made for flexibility and speed , as well as highly heightened senses for chasing and hunting .

What do they eat

The common thing is that, as its name implies, carnivorous animals feed on the meat of other creatures. They can be insects, amphibians, reptiles or mammals . An example of this is found in the diet of lions ; They need 7 kilograms of buffalo meat per day .

Types

One could understand their typology starting from their diet. Not all carnivorous animals are pure, as already said, and now it will be explained why:

• Pure carnivores : these are those animals whose digestive system does not present the conditions to process other types of food other than meat. Even though they can ingest plants or animal derivatives, their nutritional needs depend on the meat they prey.
• Flexible carnivores : even though they can eat meat, their diet also includes vegetables and plants. Humans are, in this case, an example.
• Scavenger carnivores : they do not prey. They only eat the remains of creatures that were preyed upon by other creatures. Crows and vultures are a paradigmatic example of this type.

Where do carnivorous animals live?

As a general rule, we can detect carnivorous animals in almost all ecosystems. Whenever creatures are found, there will inevitably be predators that prey on them. Therefore, we can find them in aquatic areas (such as rivers, lakes and seas) or terrestrial (jungles, savannas, forests and deserts) .

How is your teeth

In general, their teeth have canine teeth specialized in tearing their prey, and rear molars for crushing bones or hard areas.

Location in the food chain

Carnivorous animals usually have a privileged place within the chain. They generally have the highest ranks . However, some animals come to play the role of super predator. The latter implies, of course, the absence of predators that prey on them, such as wolves, killer whales, some birds of prey and humans. Carnivores tend to have the highest place in the food chain.

Reproduction

One could say that the reproductive strategies of these creatures are varied. We can meet the monogamous , such are the wolves as an example. Another example is the elephant seals, who are polygynous or bears, who are polygynous .

Carnivorous animals by country

Each country has its own characteristics. Although some share some of them, most have their own set of fauna and flora. It is not surprising that we find in each country a quite distinctive set of creatures of this type. Here are some examples:

• Mexico : we could say that it has specimens such as: the jaguar, the tiger cat, the otter and the black bear.
• Argentina : the southern cone country has specimens such as: the condor of the Andes, the Andean cat, the American lion and the coati.
• Spain : the Iberian country has a carnivorous fauna such as the following: the Iberian lynx, the brown bear, the Iberian wolf and the Iberian imperial eagle.
• Chile : the coastal country has the following animals to its credit: the chilote fox, the wild cat, the quique, the sea elephant and the queltehue, among many others.

Examples

Next, we will name some examples of terrestrial and aquatic carnivorous animals:

• Felines
• Hyenas
• Canids
• Bears
• Phocids
• Odobenids