10 Animals That (Sometimes) Eat Their Own Kind
May 14, 2022
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It’s sad when it happens, but some animals sometimes eats members of their own species. Some animals go as far as eating their own progeny straight after giving birth to them. “Why do they do it? Is it not counter-productive?” you may reason. The truth is, they might engage in cannibalism for different reasons, not all of them being fully understood in spite of much research on the matter.Curious about which creatures display such horrendous behaviors? Here are 10 examples that animals that surprisingly don't mind eating their own kind.
Hippopotamuses
Hippopotamuses do not typically display cannibalistic behavior because they are, for the most part, herbivores (meaning they just eat plants and vegetation.) However, there have been recent reports of hippopotamuses eating off of other hippopotamus carcasses because of recent droughts and having less space to find food due to the encroaching human population. These animals need to eat 40kg of grass every single day, and as the vegetation is running short they have been forced to eat whatever they can find.
Lions
Lions do not usually hunt, kill, or eat other lions; however, there are a few circumstances where a lion may be pushed to do so. First of all, if there is a severe food shortage, a tribe of lions may kill and eat the oldest lion in the tribe; however, this typically only occurs when there is no other food option available. There is also the occasional occurrence when male lions will kill at eat the cubs when claiming a lioness.
Hamsters
Typically, Hamsters only display cannibalistic behaviors when they are feeling territorial. It is why some breeds of hamsters - specifically Syrian hamsters - are more likely to be cannibals than others. In fact, when Syrian hamsters (also known as golden hamsters) were first found in the wild and brought back for research, researchers reported the mother eating her young, probably due to territorial disputes.
Praying Mantis
Female praying mantises are known to eat the male praying mantis while they are mating. In fact, the female often starts by eating the head of the male and continues to mate with him while she does so. Researchers believe that the reason female praying mantises do this is to ensure the survival of herself and her offspring. It protects the offspring from the male and decreases food competition if food is scarce.
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees have been documented to engage in cannibalism a number of different times by researchers and other observationalists. However, these researchers have not nailed down one reason that could explain every situation, so instead have come to the conclusion that they will resort to cannibalism for a number of different reasons, including nutrition, survival, and occasionally to take over as leader.
Gerbils
Gerbils will instinctively eat other gerbils for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes it is for nutritional needs or food scarcity, but more often than not, it is for a number of different reasons. For instance, sometimes gerbils will turn on each other if they are overly stressed or do not have enough space and become territorial. They will also sometimes eat other gerbils to remove the corpse to avoid attracting other predators or if they have too many/too weak young.
Tiger Salamanders
Not all tiger salamanders are cannibalistic. In fact, you can usually figure out which tiger salamanders are cannibalistic by looking at their physical features. The cannibalistic ones tend to have bigger skulls and enlarged teeth. When they do act as cannibals, they usually will eat smaller tiger salamanders as a way to eliminate competition.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs are not cannibals in the way that other bugs and animals on this list are. You will not typically see a fully grown ladybug eating another ladybug. However, there are several different ladybug varieties that are rather cannibalistic as larvae. When they hatch, they will begin to eat the ladybug eggs around them that have not hatched yet. It has been shown that the ladybugs that eat unhatched eggs tend to develop faster than other larvae.
Sand Tiger Shark
Sand tiger sharks display their cannibalistic behaviors while in the womb. When an embryo or fetus reaches a certain size, it will eat all of the younger siblings in the womb and then move on to eating the unfertilized eggs in the mother. Researchers believe the point of this process is to ensure that the strongest offspring is produced and make it more likely that they survive once born.
Polar Bear
It has been known for some time that polar bears have some cannibalistic traits; however, it used to be very rare that they would resort to cannibalism because they only do so due to resource scarcity. But in recent years, there has been an uptick in cannibalism amongst polar bears as the ice caps have been melting, leading there to be less territory and less food to share.
Wrapping Up
For most on this list, cannibalism is just part of the natural order. Not something we humans will ever get used to any time soon, but something that is certainly good to know if you decide to keep some of these animals as pets. While there is nothing you can to change these habits in the wild, with proper care you can definitely prevent an accident if you keep some of these critters as pets.