Named the ten worst mothers among animals. Reasons for the destruction of offspring by a mother-cat Animals that eat their cubs

Cannibalism is the eating of animals of their own species. For more than 140 species of living beings, it is a characteristic manifestation.

Baby killer lions

They stand out among predators with their tendency to eat their own kind. The facts are known not only of killing, but also of devouring cubs by adult males. The cause of cannibalism in lions is not at all starvation or an excess number of members of the population, as, for example, in rodents. A sad fate befalls exclusively the children of the rival lion. The offspring of the leader remains intact. In overwhelming numbers, these cases are still infanticide, and not cannibalism, since lions devour killed lion cubs extremely rarely.

Lions are one of those who do not disdain cannibalism.

In the event of a change of the old leader to a new one, the heirs of the first one are ruthlessly destroyed. Also, infanticide in the pride is caused by prolonged gestation, subsequent care and upbringing of babies. During this period of time, the lioness does not allow the male to approach her, depriving him of the opportunity to mate.

Infanticide among primates

Killing offspring is not exclusively a feature of the lion kingdom. Representatives of primates, hamadryas, after attacking a foreign tribe with heterosexual individuals, first of all kill all males and babies in it, so that later they can mate with captured females. But as with lions, in most cases everything ends only with the killing of potential rivals.

Frilled baboons they can also kill their own children, but according to scientists, only in cases where the male suspects that the born cub is not from him. According to Darwin's theory, such aggressive behavior is a way to control the size of the pack.

Eating their own kind is common among some birds, as well as vertebrate and invertebrate predators, as they view members of their own species as potential prey.

Soldier Bug: Cannibalism for these insects is common.

The origin of the name "cannibalism" originated in the pre-Columbian era, the name "caniba" inhabitants Bahamas called the tribes of cannibals from the island of Haiti. The tradition of these tribes was to eat the bodies of their killed or captured enemies.

There are two types of cannibalism - passive and active. Active cannibals eat those whom they killed themselves. Passive cannibals are satisfied with the corpses of their own kind.

Cannibalism largely depends on the habitat, if it is favorable, then the devouring of their own fellow tribesmen comes to naught. And vice versa, it flares up with an increasing danger to existence.

Many rodents become bloodthirsty killers and satisfy their hunger with their own offspring in cases of an unacceptable increase in the size of their family. Lack of food and a sharply increased population provoke cannibalism among birds that are able to kill and eat not only their own but also other people's chicks. First of all, this applies to the crow family. In flocks of skuas and gulls, the number of which exceeded the allowable one, the eating of chicks and eggs of birds adjacent to them also flourishes. Therefore, cannibalism, in some cases, is the reaction of animals to a clear shortage of food and habitat.

Animals imprisoned in an unsuitable small space for them are also capable of cannibalism. A case was recorded when a bandicoot of a smaller species killed and completely ate a bandicoot located in the same cage with it for more than a night. large species. Although, however, these animals and in natural environment can eat their fellow tribesman, being in a stressful state. And some predators simply do not distinguish between their own and others.

Crickets are also cannibals.

Cannibalism is a specific form of nutrition in which a certain program is laid down for the destruction of representatives of its own species.

The female praying mantis begins to devour the male even in the process of mating, because for her body during the gestation period, a huge amount of protein is needed for the development of future offspring.

The larvae are pronounced cannibals in their essence. And in tadpoles, the incredibly prolific spadefoot frog, this instinct is genetic.

Frilled baboon, he is a hamadryas. Cannibalism also occurs among representatives of this species of primates.

Cannibalism and aggressive, competitive behavior are inherent even in the cubs of various predatory representatives. For example, hyena puppies compete with each other from birth, killing their brothers and sisters in the process of a fierce struggle for survival. The baby shark hatched first in the womb kills and eats its own younger brothers and sisters. Tigers and wolves are also prone to cannibalism.

- The hamster had babies yesterday, and today there is not a single one: they are all eaten.

The word "cannibalism" comes from the French "cannibal" - "cannibal". This term was introduced to refer to such a phenomenon as eating human meat, which was common among primitive peoples. However, eating their own kind is common in the animal world.

Cannibalism occurs for a variety of reasons.

The first of them: too many animals in a certain area.

There is an opinion that in mouse-like rodents, absolutely all males have a bad attitude towards cubs. However, it is not. Male white-footed hamsters drag the cubs that have fallen out of the nest back, cover them with the available material, and heat them no worse than females.

Male mice, together with females, build a nest, drag their own, and, if there are, alien cubs, into it, heat them with their bodies. Often they clean and lick the cubs, holding them with their paws.

Although cannibalism among rodents is not uncommon, it is not so much the males that eat the cubs as the female mothers. Cannibalism can also be partial: the female eats one or more cubs at certain intervals, and does not touch the rest, continues to feed them, and they remain alive.

Cannibalism is most typical for those species of rodents that have many cubs: golden hamsters and mice. The female begins to eat the cubs in the first days after their birth and stops when they can already eat food themselves.

Many animal lovers are convinced that the female eats the weakest, most unviable cubs. However, this is not true. Weak cubs can also be accidentally eaten, but the strongest ones are often eaten. There really isn't any choice.

Experiments were carried out. Near the female golden hamster, who had nine cubs of her own, eleven mice of the same age, but they were smaller than her cubs, were placed. She immediately dragged them all into her nest, began to lick and feed them, like her cubs. However, starting from the fifth day of the life of the cubs, she undertook to eat them, mice and hamsters without any choice.

Another female golden hamster was offered two yellow pieds that were three days old. She immediately dragged them to the nest where her four cubs lay. Within a few days, she ate her own two children, and fed the pieds until their eyes opened.

This type of cannibalism is observed when too many cubs are born in animals, when broods follow each other and the mother's body is severely depleted, lacks proteins and minerals. And if the females feeding the cubs begin to give milk, meat, spongy bones, cannibalism stops.

Another type of cannibalism: the female eats all the cubs. This usually happens in the first hours or days after their birth. Such cannibalism may be due to lack of water, illness of the female. In addition, stress factors play an important role in its occurrence.

If the animals live crowded, the nursing mother is often disturbed, in addition, the animals can fight with each other. And in such a tense situation, the case often ends with the female eating her cubs.

Cannibalism is sometimes provoked by harsh sounds. Often, the owner of the animal himself becomes the culprit in the death of the cubs: he often looks into the nest, takes the newborns in his hands.

To prevent cannibalism, the female golden hamster, when pregnancy becomes apparent, is placed in a separate cage. AT last days pregnancy, you need to handle female golden hamsters with extreme caution, if possible, avoid sharp fluctuations in temperature in the room, extraneous noise. You should not touch the born cubs with your hands.

Cannibalism- eating animals of their own species. This behavior is characteristic of about 140 species living around the world.

Baby Killer Lions

Among the higher mammals with a penchant for cannibalism, lions have become widely known. There are many documented facts testifying to the killing of lion cubs by males. In some cases, lions even eat dead cubs.

In most cases, the motive for killing is not starvation or even excessive population density, often an explanation for cannibalism among rodents. Lions brutally deal with other people's offspring. Only cubs of the head of the pride remain alive. It should be noted that lions usually do not eat dead lion cubs, so their behavior can be called infanticide rather than cannibalism.

This phenomenon most often occurs when the pride leader is replaced by a new young male. Incredible, from a human point of view, the cruelty of lions is also associated with long gestation periods and raising offspring. The lioness is ready to mate only after the cub becomes independent.

Destruction of offspring by primates

Lions are not the only animals that kill their cubs. This behavior is also inherent in some primates, for example, hamadryas. So, flocks of male hamadryas attack mixed groups, killing both males and cubs, and then mate with conquered females. The behavior of hamadryas is similar to that of lions, which kill other people's cubs, but rarely eat them.

Such behavior is characteristic not only of Hamadryas, but also of Frilled Baboons. There is reliable material proving that these primates also destroy cubs. Frilled baboons may kill cubs if they suspect that another male was their father.

Darwin considered such actions by males as an important way to control the population of these animals.

Cannibalism is common among both vertebrates and invertebrates. Predatory animals attack individuals of their own species, seeing them as prey. This behavior is typical not only for mammals, but also for some birds.

What is "cannibalism"

The word "cannibalism" comes from the name of an island tribe of cannibals. The people of this tribe had a custom to eat the enemies they killed or captured. A similar custom existed among other tribes.

There are two types of cannibalism: active and passive. Active cannibals devour those they have caught and killed themselves. Passive cannibals are limited to eating dead individuals of their own species. In some species, cannibalism was developed among peers, while others eat their own or someone else's offspring.

Many animals, under favorable environmental conditions, are not cannibals, however, in the event of a threat to existence, they become so. Mice and rats are prone to cannibalism when the population is overcrowded. their high fecundity often creates conditions for the development of bloodthirsty inclinations in adults, satisfy hunger by killing cubs.

Animals kept in captivity in unnaturally small rooms often become cannibals. For example, a case is known when a short-nosed bandicoot, which was kept in a cage overnight, killed a larger long-nosed bandicoot and ate it, leaving one inside-out skin. However, it is known that under natural conditions, animals of these species in stressful situations also become murderers.

Cannibalism is also common in the bird environment, especially among crows: adult birds eat both strangers and their own chicks. Lack of food and population growth promotes cannibalism.

Many seagulls also feed on the chicks of their neighbors. Avian cannibalism is a response to unfavourable conditions, in this case such a condition is the overpopulation of the bird colony. Other skuas - feed on eggs and chicks of gulls and gulls.

Cannibalism - special form eating behavior, which is characterized by the destruction of individuals of its own species. Often, cannibalism is a reaction to the lack of food. Predatory animals simply do not distinguish individuals of their own species from others.

The female praying mantis eats the male immediately after mating, providing her body with the substances necessary for the development of fertilized eggs. This behavior is also characteristic of larvae. ladybugs They are cannibals by nature. cubs spotted hyena they see each other as competitors and fight for survival, killing rivals with whom they should have shared food. Cannibalism is also inherent in wolves and tigers.

Benefits of cannibalism

At first glance, cannibalism seems to be a meaningless phenomenon. However, in this case, predators would have ceased to exist long ago.

The cannibalism of animals whose populations are justly worrying is more justified. In this case, cannibalism is a chance that allows individuals and species as a whole to survive. Overcrowding of the population leads to a rapid reduction in food sources and is the main reason for the extinction of the species in the area.

In a fierce winter or drought, the survival of a small number of animals that eat their fellow tribesmen is more profitable existence. a large number hungry individuals with their subsequent death from lack of food. The young of fertile animals often destroy each other. So, for example, cannibalism is an innate instinct of spadefoot tadpoles.

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Cats have a very well developed maternal instinct, it tightly binds the baby and mother. Thus, she is completely given to the child, showing maximum tenderness and love. But sometimes something makes us think about whether cats eat their kittens, or is this another unjustified legend. And to our horror, for the umpteenth time harsh reality wins.

Why do cats eat kittens?

Rarely, but it happens that cats eat their kittens, this happens immediately after the birth of babies. In this case, the maternal instinct and the smell of colostrum remained far in the shadow of cannibalism.

The reasons for devouring a baby are not as terrible as the very fact of what is happening. Cats usually eat afterbirths and stillborn kittens. Sometimes they can harm the baby when they gnaw through the umbilical cord, or accidentally destroy it along with the placenta. But the mother can do it quite consciously. There are several reasons why cats eat their kittens. If the baby was born weak or with handicapped, then it is quite possible that he is doomed to death. Thus, the mother leads only strong and hardy offspring into life.

Another reason why a cat eats its kittens is that the maternal instinct in an animal may not be sufficiently pronounced, and the baby, again, rushes to the mercy of fate. Nature makes its life selection with special cruelty.

Why do cats eat kittens?

The birth of babies usually takes place in a safe, warm and comfortable place, which the mother herself considers suitable for her babies. But there are such unfortunate cases when cats reveal where the kittens are and brutally kill them. They eat not only their own, but also other people's cubs.

For thousands of years, there was a version that animals act this way, to bring the cat back to mating readiness. Having given birth to babies, the mother loses all interest in opposite sex giving the child all his care and love, and the loss of cubs provokes a new estrus.

Some experts believe that cats eat other people's kittens to make room for their offspring. And if male cubs are killed, it means that they want to get rid of competitors in the future who will be able to claim females and territory.

The animal world is quite cruel and sometimes not at all connected with morality. But we must understand that their behavior probably has a reasonable explanation, because over the course of many millennia, reflexes and a stereotype of actions have been formed.

Small and fluffy hamsters are actually not so harmless animals, they are able to perform very aggressive acts, watching which, the owners may come in shock. It's about about eating their own babies, which is often found in these rodents.

Cannibalism, or eating one's own relatives, is developed among some animal species, and hamsters are also addicted to this business. Often the owners are very surprised by this attitude of rodent parents to their own cubs, they declare the animals unhealthy and try to get rid of them, but in fact such behavior is the norm for their species. It is the owner of furry animals who can prevent trouble if he takes appropriate measures in time. But first, it’s worth understanding the causes of cannibalism, and they are different for males and females.

Nature endowed the maternal instinct not only with people, but also with animals. But it also happens that for some reason the female does not want to take care of the offspring. Among the reasons why a female hamster can dine with her cubs are:

• Too young mothers, as a rule, do not yet have a strong maternal instinct, this applies to hamsters under the age of four months.
• The main reason is the lack of milk in the female, the mother is forced to kill half of the offspring in order to feed the rest. Make sure that the new mother has round-the-clock access to water and wet food, her nutrition greatly affects milk production.
• Plays a role and the so-called natural selection, mother hamsters can eat a baby hamster that is too weak.
• Females after childbirth are very aggressive, they can eat cubs at the slightest stress, whether it be bright light or loud noise.
• You can not take newborn hamsters in your hands or disturb their house, the mother may not recognize the children by smell if you touch them.
• Most often, children are eaten by females weakened from frequent childbirth, as well as those who gave birth from family ties.

When does the male eat the young?

It is worth noting that it is the female who eats the offspring more often, but sometimes the father of a fluffy family can also have dinner with children. The only reason about which the male can do this - a feeling of jealousy for the female.

They have almost no paternal instinct, and males perceive offspring as competitors, since while the female feeds the babies with milk, she is not able to mate.

In addition, female hamsters during pregnancy and after it are angry and aggressive, they can bite or chase the hamster dad around the cage for no particular reason. And he sees the origins of all troubles precisely in the offspring and gets rid of him at the first opportunity.

If adult hamsters eat each other

Sometimes an adult hamster can eat another hamster, the reason is the same - competition. But the fight is no longer for mother's milk, but for the best place in a cage, as well as for food.

Hamsters will not have to fight if they have enough food and space. Therefore, do not put too many hamsters in one cage, the optimal area of ​​\u200b\u200bpersonal space for one is ten times its size. Do not let these animals starve, they are very voracious, and with the slightest lack of food, they can dine on a weaker member of their family.

The cause of cannibalism can also be sexual competition for the attention of the female, so you should not keep several adult males in one cage.