The first thing we are going to do is know the etymological origin of the term carnivore that we are now dealing with. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “carnivorus”, which can be translated as “meat eater”. That word that is made up of the following elements:
-The noun “expensive”, which means “portion of meat”.
– “Vorus”, which can be translated as “the one who feeds”. A word that derives from the Latin verb “vorare”, which is synonymous with “devour”.
According to DigoPaul, the adjective carnivore is used to describe beings that eat meat. The concept includes those animals that, although their diet includes other options, can also eat meat.
It can be said that the notion of carnivore is used in opposition to herbivore (animals that eat plants) and frugivore (food based on fruits). Animals that eat meat, plants and fruits are called omnivores.
In the case of carnivores, they obtain the nutrients they need for their subsistence and development through the ingestion of meat, either by preying on other animals or by eating carrion. Living things that only eat meat are often called strict carnivores.
These animals have a digestive system prepared for the digestion of meat. Many of them have teeth to tear their prey, although there are carnivores without teeth (such as emperor penguins).
Dogs, cats, wolves, whales, eagles, snakes, octopuses, and spiders are carnivorous animals. The current human being (Homo sapiens) is considered omnivorous, although the primitive species of the genus Homo were vegetarians.
Although there are many classifications of carnivores, we cannot ignore that one of the most significant is the one that divides them in two when it comes to animals:
-The scavengers, which are characterized because they feed on other animals that are already dead. Specifically, they do not hunt them but wait for them to die to eat them. This would be the case of vultures or hyenas, for example.
-Predators, who watch over their prey to chase and hunt them. To perform this function, some will choose to hunt alone while others choose to do it in a herd. Of course, predators are in turn divided into several groups: supercarnivores, which are those that only eat meat; occasional carnivores who eat meat only when they have trouble finding vegetables; and the flexible ones. The latter are the ones that, although they mostly eat meat, can also eat plants, seeds or fruits, for example.
Finally, carnivorous plants are plant species that satisfy their nutritional requirements by consuming insects. There are more than three hundred types of carnivorous plants, which use different kinds of traps to catch their prey. Some have sticky hairs on their leaves so that the animals, once they come into contact, cannot escape.
