Cannibalism in animals

In animal science, cannibalism is where an animal eats its own species. Scientists have found more than 1500 species that do this.^[1] It is common with insects, spiders and scorpions. There, the male gets eaten by the female, after having sexual intercourse. Many types of frogs will also eat other frogs of the same species. Even, vertebrates like hedgehogs eat their offspring if stressed.^[2][3]

1. ↑ G. A. Polis, The evolution and dynamics of intraspecific predation. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 12, 225-251 (1981).
2. ↑ Pareek, Rahul C. (12 September 2020). "Do Hedgehogs Eat Their Babies? A Guide to Nursing Hedgehogs". Small Pet Site. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
3. ↑ Kelsey-Wood, Dennis (1995). African Pygmy Hedgehogs as Your New Pet. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 978-0-7938-0192-3.