Hypercarnivore

Some animals eat mostly meat.

They hunt for their food. They may also eat leftovers.

Lions are one kind. All snakes eat mostly meat too. Some bears eat meat. But other bears do not.

Polar bears eat a lot of meat. Grizzly bears eat very little. This is a big change.

Eating meat helps them grow. It makes their bones strong. These animals are very special.

Some animals eat a lot of meat. We call these hypercarnivores.

Many animals fit this group. This includes all snakes. It also includes cats like lions and tigers. Some sharks and whales are hypercarnivores too. Polar bears are very meat-heavy. More than 90% of their food is meat. Grizzly bears are different. They eat less than 10% meat.

Eating meat helps these animals grow. Their bodies have special genes. These genes help build strong bones. Strong bones are a key part of a hunter's life. Some animals cannot make certain fats on their own. They must get these from their meat. This happens in lions and even mosquitoes.

A hypercarnivore is a special kind of animal. These animals eat a diet made of more than 70% meat. They get this meat by hunting other animals. They might also eat leftovers left by others. This way of eating is called scavenging. The rest of their food can be plants. They might also eat things like fungi.

Many different animals fit this group. All snakes are hypercarnivores. This includes the king cobra. Many cats are also in this group. This includes lions, tigers, and even your pet cat. You can find them in the ocean too. Toothed whales and many sharks are hypercarnivores. Even small creatures like spiders and scorpions fit.

Some animals are even more meat-focused than others. Polar bears are a great example. More than 90% of their diet is meat. They are very different from grizzly bears. Grizzly bears eat less than 10% meat in some places. These two bears split from each other 150,000 years ago. This shows how diets can change over time.

Being a hunter requires a very strong body. Scientists looked at the genes of many animals. They studied the lion, tiger, and killer whale. They also studied the leopard and the domestic cat. They found special genes for bone growth. These genes are called DMP1 and PTN. They help build and repair strong bones. This helps animals live a predatory life.

Eating meat changes how an animal's body works. Some animals cannot make a fat called arachidonic acid. They must get it from the food they eat. This is true for lions and domestic cats. It is even true for the mosquito. In some mammals, a special enzyme helps them work. This enzyme is called alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase. It helps them use parts of animal matter for energy.

A hypercarnivore is an animal with a very specific diet. To be called a hypercarnivore, an animal must get more than 70% of its food from meat. These animals obtain meat through two main ways. They can be active predators that hunt other living things. They can also be scavengers that eat meat left behind by others. The remaining part of their diet can include non-animal foods. This might include fruits, fungi, or other plant materials.

There are many different types of animals in this group. You can find them in almost every environment on Earth. Many reptiles are hypercarnivores, such as crocodilians and all snakes. Many birds fit this description, including owls, eagles, and vultures. In the ocean, toothed whales and most sharks are hypercarnivores. Even small invertebrates like spiders, scorpions, and mantises belong to this group. This category includes many well-known mammals like felids, which are the cat family.

Every species in the family Felidae is a hypercarnivore in its natural state. This includes large wild cats like lions and tigers. It also includes the domestic cat that lives in your home. However, diets can change in domestic settings. For example, a pet cat might eat food made from plants or synthetic sources. Farmers sometimes feed alligators or crocodiles plant-based feed. They do this to save money or to be more environmentally friendly. Being a hypercarnivore does not always mean an animal is an apex predator. Salmon are exclusively carnivorous, but they are often prey for many other organisms.

Dietary habits can vary even between very closely related animals. Consider the two different types of bears. The polar bear is the most highly carnivorous bear. More than 90% of its diet consists of meat. The grizzly bear is very different from the polar bear. In many locations, the grizzly bear is one of the least carnivorous animals. Its meat intake is often less than 10% of its diet. These two species diverged from a common ancestor only 150,000 years ago. This shows how much a diet can change in a short time.

Scientists use the term hypercarnivore in paleobiology to describe ancient animals too. In this field, the term refers to animals with specific teeth. These animals have a high slicing component in their dentition. This means their teeth are better for cutting meat than for grinding plants. This physical trait helps them process animal matter efficiently. The shape of the teeth is a key indicator of how an animal lived.

Living a predatory lifestyle requires a very strong body. Scientists analyzed the genomes of several animals to understand this. They studied the Tasmanian devil, killer whale, and polar bear. They also looked at the leopard, lion, tiger, cheetah, and domestic cat. They found shared positive selection for two specific genes. These genes are named DMP1 and PTN. They are related to bone development and repair. This suggests that strong bone structure is a requirement for a predatory lifestyle. The Scimitar-toothed cat, known as Homotherium latidens, also showed positive selection for a gene related to bone mineralisation.

Eating almost exclusively animal food also changes an animal's internal chemistry. Many hypercarnivores are incapable of biosynthesizing arachidonic acid. This means they cannot make this specific substance on their own. They must get it directly from the food they eat. This trait is found in the lion, the domestic cat, and the turbot fish. It is even found in the haematophagous mosquito, which feeds on blood. In hypercarnivore mammals, a special enzyme helps them process nutrients. This enzyme is called alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase. It is expressed mainly in the mitochondria. This allows the animal to metabolise glyoxylate from the hydroxyproline found in animal matter.