One way or another, every living thing has to feed - but some creatures don't limit themselves to green leaves or fresh meat. Check out the weird dining habits of the...
Bearded vultures are the only birds that subsist primarily on bone, preferably from a fresh carcass. They snap small pieces in their beak, but larger bones are carried aloft and dropped, shattering into bite-sized chunks. Once swallowed, a harsh cocktail of digestive acids break the bone down into component nutrients and release the marrow!
The Charaxes have exotic tastes in food - rather than just nectar, they love fermenting sap, fresh dung and carrion. Dipping into these substances is pretty common in butterflies (the activity is known as "puddling" amongst lepidopterists and can use things like sweat, tears and blood) as it offers a source of nutrients and amino acids uncommon in a nectar-based diet. Even better, the semi-liquid nature of these substances makes them easy to consume with a proboscis. When such a bounty presents itself a Charaxes can get pretty aggressive. Mid-air butterfly fights can end with mutilations inflicted by serrated wings.
Speaking of bloodthirsty, some male Calyptra moths are outright vampiric. They drill through skin using their sharp proboscis (thought to have evolved for boring into fruits) and can feed for almost an hour - they'll even attack humans. It's possible the males are trying to obtain salt that they provide to females during mating, since their fruit diet tends to be lacking in sodium.
Many supposed herbivores actually dabble in meat eating, especially during the lean times of winter. A hungry hare seems to favor small carcasses, possibly to avoid competition from larger and more dangerous scavengers like a bear or wolverine. The corpse of a lynx or another hare is a resource that larger animals might not bother with, meaning that it only has to defend the meal against other hares!
Domesticated dogs seem to preferentially gnaw flesh from the face and lips, then less commonly the neck and upper limbs. Damaged bones and amputation of extremities are also possible, depending on the strength of the dog. Cat scavenging follows a similar pattern but generally sticks to soft tissue, which typically leaves a more intact corpse. In either case, the scavenging can be significant enough to obfuscate the actual cause of death.
Feral cats have also been observed scavenging meat from the corpses on body farms - open air forensic laboratories where the progression of human decomposition can be observed. Two cats caught on camera seemed to stay "loyal" to a specific body once chosen, feeding for over two weeks rather than moving on to a new meal. Curiously, these feral animals focused on the limbs and torso as opposed to the neck and face.
It's not just cats and dogs that can take a nibble of their owner either. Police investigating the death of a 43 year old woman in her flat suspected she had been assaulted. She was found with extensive injuries to the face... but an autopsy later revealed these were made by rodent teeth. Investigators later found the burrow of the woman's free-range pet hamster... filled with scraps of human tissue.
The bees are dependent on carrion for their protein intake. Normal bees collect and transport pollen with hairs on their legs, relying on this as a source of protein. Vulture bees chop off little portions of flesh and carry it back to the nest where it is "cured" in wax pots. They also have a set of five pointed "teeth" that are used to harvest flesh. They've been known to bite humans when disturbed, sometimes resulting in blistering.
The bacteria living in the guts of vulture bees are highly specialized, being able to break down decomposing flesh and produce acid. Because these bacteria are acidophilic, the stomach can be kept at a low pH - this sterilizes the carrion consumed by the bees and stops them being infected by their rotting meals.
Disturbingly, these bees still produce honey - though it is suspiciously free of pollen grains. They have also been known to raid abandoned wasp nests, butchering any remaining larvae!
Once blinded, the pup can't find its mother - and without milk, it quickly weakens and dies. This tactic leaves a fresh carcass for the bird to feed on, but sometimes gulls will mob a blinded seal and start to feast while the victim is still alive.
This isn't the only way gull attack seals though. In Patagonia, baby seals are frequently infected with parasitic hookworms. Gulls love eating the worms, usually plucking them from seal excrement - but sometimes the gulls get impatient. Researchers have found that previously unexplained wounds around the anuses of seal pups are actually due to gulls jabbing their beaks into fresh dung as it emerges!
- Bone-Eating Bearded Vultures
- Bloodthirsty Charaxes Butterflies and Calyptra Moths
- Scavenging, Cannibal Snowshoe Hares
- Human-Munching Cats, Dogs... and Hamsters
- Corpse-Butchering Vulture Bees
- Cold, Calculating, Seal-Eating Gulls
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| Bone is the favored meal of bearded vultures... (Jecqan) |
Bone-Eating Bearded Vultures
Vultures are possibly the most iconic of the carrion eaters - but the bearded vulture is a specialist amongst specialists. These large avians still scavenge from corpses, but not for meat - their meal of choice is bone.Bearded vultures are the only birds that subsist primarily on bone, preferably from a fresh carcass. They snap small pieces in their beak, but larger bones are carried aloft and dropped, shattering into bite-sized chunks. Once swallowed, a harsh cocktail of digestive acids break the bone down into component nutrients and release the marrow!
Bloodthirsty Charaxes Butterflies and Calyptra Moths
If you picture a butterfly, you probably bring to mind a graceful and harmless colorful insect, flitting along in search of flowers. The Charaxes butterflies defy this image.The Charaxes have exotic tastes in food - rather than just nectar, they love fermenting sap, fresh dung and carrion. Dipping into these substances is pretty common in butterflies (the activity is known as "puddling" amongst lepidopterists and can use things like sweat, tears and blood) as it offers a source of nutrients and amino acids uncommon in a nectar-based diet. Even better, the semi-liquid nature of these substances makes them easy to consume with a proboscis. When such a bounty presents itself a Charaxes can get pretty aggressive. Mid-air butterfly fights can end with mutilations inflicted by serrated wings.
Speaking of bloodthirsty, some male Calyptra moths are outright vampiric. They drill through skin using their sharp proboscis (thought to have evolved for boring into fruits) and can feed for almost an hour - they'll even attack humans. It's possible the males are trying to obtain salt that they provide to females during mating, since their fruit diet tends to be lacking in sodium.
Scavenging, Cannibal Snowshoe Hares
The snowshoe hare looks like it just hopped from the front of a Christmas card. With large hind feet and a fluffy coat to protect itself from the cold, they really do look wholesome. Naturally, they harbor a dark secret - the snowshoe hare supplements its leaf and bark diet with carrion... including that of other hares.Many supposed herbivores actually dabble in meat eating, especially during the lean times of winter. A hungry hare seems to favor small carcasses, possibly to avoid competition from larger and more dangerous scavengers like a bear or wolverine. The corpse of a lynx or another hare is a resource that larger animals might not bother with, meaning that it only has to defend the meal against other hares!
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| Butterflies drink more than nectar... (Sonel) |
Human-Munching Cats, Dogs... and Hamsters
What list of disturbing eaters would be complete without mention of pets eating their owners? Ever since we domesticated these creatures, they've begged for scraps, the remains of carcasses and anything else they can get their paws on. Slightly more worrisome is a tendency to eat human corpses.Domesticated dogs seem to preferentially gnaw flesh from the face and lips, then less commonly the neck and upper limbs. Damaged bones and amputation of extremities are also possible, depending on the strength of the dog. Cat scavenging follows a similar pattern but generally sticks to soft tissue, which typically leaves a more intact corpse. In either case, the scavenging can be significant enough to obfuscate the actual cause of death.
Feral cats have also been observed scavenging meat from the corpses on body farms - open air forensic laboratories where the progression of human decomposition can be observed. Two cats caught on camera seemed to stay "loyal" to a specific body once chosen, feeding for over two weeks rather than moving on to a new meal. Curiously, these feral animals focused on the limbs and torso as opposed to the neck and face.
It's not just cats and dogs that can take a nibble of their owner either. Police investigating the death of a 43 year old woman in her flat suspected she had been assaulted. She was found with extensive injuries to the face... but an autopsy later revealed these were made by rodent teeth. Investigators later found the burrow of the woman's free-range pet hamster... filled with scraps of human tissue.
Corpse-Butchering Vulture Bees
Lurking in the forests of Costa Rica, the vulture bee takes nectar and pollen from plants like any other bee... but what they really want is dead meat.The bees are dependent on carrion for their protein intake. Normal bees collect and transport pollen with hairs on their legs, relying on this as a source of protein. Vulture bees chop off little portions of flesh and carry it back to the nest where it is "cured" in wax pots. They also have a set of five pointed "teeth" that are used to harvest flesh. They've been known to bite humans when disturbed, sometimes resulting in blistering.
The bacteria living in the guts of vulture bees are highly specialized, being able to break down decomposing flesh and produce acid. Because these bacteria are acidophilic, the stomach can be kept at a low pH - this sterilizes the carrion consumed by the bees and stops them being infected by their rotting meals.
Disturbingly, these bees still produce honey - though it is suspiciously free of pollen grains. They have also been known to raid abandoned wasp nests, butchering any remaining larvae!
Cold, Calculating, Seal-Eating Gulls
Nature can be cruel, but the seagulls of Namibia practice a particularly calculating form of predation. The birds are too small to take a fur seal pup... but they can use their speed and agility to rip out eyes.Once blinded, the pup can't find its mother - and without milk, it quickly weakens and dies. This tactic leaves a fresh carcass for the bird to feed on, but sometimes gulls will mob a blinded seal and start to feast while the victim is still alive.
This isn't the only way gull attack seals though. In Patagonia, baby seals are frequently infected with parasitic hookworms. Gulls love eating the worms, usually plucking them from seal excrement - but sometimes the gulls get impatient. Researchers have found that previously unexplained wounds around the anuses of seal pups are actually due to gulls jabbing their beaks into fresh dung as it emerges!
Thanks for reading - for more strange beasts, try...