Cannibalism

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cannibalism

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Not applicable to the general concept; refers to behavior within species
2. What is the habitat?Observed across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments globally
3. What does it mean when animals eat their own kind?It is called cannibalism, which is when an animal eats another animal of the same species. This happens in many animals, more than 1,500 different kinds.
4. Why do animals sometimes eat other animals of the same species?They may do it when food is scarce, when there are too many of them in one place, or as part of their breeding habits. Eating a conspecific can help them survive when other food is missing.

Intraspecific Predation: Predation occurring between individuals of the same species.