A carnivore is an animal that eats meat. Lions, hawks, sharks, and wolves are all carnivores. Their bodies are specially designed for hunting and eating other animals: sharp teeth for tearing flesh, keen senses for tracking prey, and digestive systems that efficiently process meat.

Scientists use carnivore to describe animals whose diet consists mainly or entirely of other animals. A tiger is an obligate carnivore, meaning it must eat meat to survive. Some animals, like bears, eat both meat and plants, making them omnivores.

You can spot carnivores by their features. Most have forward-facing eyes that help them judge distances when hunting. They often have claws or talons for catching prey. Their teeth tell the story too: look for long, pointed canines and sharp molars built for slicing rather than grinding.

In everyday conversation, people sometimes jokingly call meat-loving humans carnivores, though humans are actually omnivores. If your friend orders a giant steak and says “I'm a carnivore,” they're using the word playfully to mean they really enjoy eating meat.

The opposite of a carnivore is an herbivore, an animal that eats only plants, like deer, rabbits, and elephants.