The Venus flytrap is a plant that catches insects in its leaves. Most carnivores are animals, but plants and fungi can be carnivores also. Jellyfish have stingers on their tentacles, which paralyze fish swimming nearby. Snakes such as king cobras have hollow fangs that act like needles to inject venom. The venom either paralyzes or kills the prey. Other carnivores attack their prey with a bite or a sting that injects toxic venom into the victim. Spiders capture their prey-usually insects-by trapping them in a sticky web. Sperm whales dive deep into the ocean where they bite hold of squid. Great blue herons wade slowly through shallow water and then suddenly snatch a fish, crab, or other creature from the water. Many carnivores grab their prey in their mouths. Many carnivorous birds, called raptors, have curved beaks that they use to tear apart their prey. Birds such as hawks and owls also hunt with their claws, called talons. Lions, cougars, and other cats have sharp claws that they use to hunt. Plant-eaters, on the other hand, usually have big molars that help them grind up leaves and grasses. Carnivorous mammals such as wolves have strong jaws and long, sharp teeth that help them grab and rip apart their prey. Hunting Carnivores have biological adaptations that help them hunt. The largest land carnivore is the polar bear, which feeds mainly on seals. The blue whale can eat about 3.6 metric tons (4 tons) of krill every day-that’s about 40 million of the little creatures. It feeds by taking huge gulps of water and then filtering out tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill. The blue whale can reach 30 meters (100 feet) long and weigh as much as 180 metric tons (200 tons). The planet’s largest animal is a carnivore. Hypocarnivores such as bears are also considered omnivores. They eat meat, fish, berries, nuts, and even the roots and bulbs of plants. Most species of bears are hypocarnivores. Hypocarnivores depend on animal meat for less than 30 percent of their diet. They also eat fruits, vegetables, and fungi. Mesocarnivores depend on animal meat for at least 50 percent of their diet.

Sea stars, which prey mostly on clams and oysters, are also hypercarnivores. All obligate carnivores, including cats, are hypercarnivores. Plants, fungi, and other nutrients make up the rest of their food. A hypercarnivore is an organism that depends on animals for at least 70 percent of its diet. Most carnivores are not obligate carnivores. All cats, from small house cats to huge tigers, are obligate carnivores. Plants do not provide enough nutrients for obligate carnivores. Their bodies cannot digest plants properly. Some carnivores, called obligate carnivores, depend only on meat for survival. Seals and sea lions are carnivores that consume fish, squid, and octopuses. Killer whales, or orcas, are a classic example of tertiary consumers. Carnivores that consume other carnivores are called tertiary consumers. Some eat omnivores, and some eat other carnivores. Carnivores and omnivores are secondary consumers. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are consumers. Autotrophs are called producers, because they produce their own food. Omnivores, creatures that consume a wide variety of organisms from plants to animals to fungi, are also the third trophic level. Herbivores, organisms that eat plants and other autotrophs, are the second trophic level. Autotrophs, organisms that produce their own food, are the first trophic level. Organisms in the food web are grouped into trophic, or nutritional, levels. Carnivores are a major part of the food web, a description of which organisms eat which other organisms in the wild. Organisms that carnivores hunt are called prey.

Sometimes carnivores are called predators. A carnivore is an organism that mostly eats meat, or the flesh of animals.

Predator meat vs prey meat