Hypercarnivore
A hypercarnivore is an
cetaceans, snakes, spiders, scorpions, mantises, marlins, groupers, piranhas and most sharks. Every species in the family Felidae, including the domesticated cat, is a hypercarnivore in its natural state. Additionally, this term is also used in paleobiology to describe taxa of animals which have an increased slicing component of their dentition relative to the grinding component.[2] In domestic settings, e.g. cats may have a diet designed from only plant and synthetic sources using modern processing methods.[3] Feeding farmed animals such as alligators and crocodiles mostly or fully plant-based feed is sometimes done to save costs or as an environmentally friendly alternative.[4][5] Hypercarnivores need not be apex predators. For example, salmon
are exclusively carnivorous, yet they are prey at all stages of life for a variety of organisms.
Many prehistoric mammals of the
Theropod dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex that existed during the late Cretaceous, although not mammals, were obligate carnivores
.
Large hypercarnivores evolved frequently in the
taxa. While the evolution of large size and carnivory may be favored at the individual level, it can lead to a macroevolutionary decline, wherein such extreme dietary specialization results in reduced population densities and a greater vulnerability for extinction.[6] As a result of these opposing forces, the fossil record of carnivores is dominated by successive clades
of hypercarnivores that diversify and decline, only to be replaced by new hypercarnivorous clades.
As an example of related species with differing diets, even though they diverged only 150,000 years ago,[7] the polar bear is the most highly carnivorous bear (more than 90% of its diet is meat) while the grizzly bear is one of the least carnivorous in many locales, with less than 10% of its diet being meat.[8][9][10]
See also
References
- .
- ^ .
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- PMID 37904841.
- ^ "Crocodiles in Zimbabwe fed vegetarian diet to make better handbags". The Telegraph. 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- S2CID 12017658.
- PMID 20194737.
- OCLC 11726851.
- PBS Nature. February 17, 2008. Archived from the originalon 2008-07-16.
- ^ "Grizzly". Hinterland Who's Who. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
External links
Look up hypercarnivore in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.