To begin with, it is good to remember that the word carnivore has two meanings. For biologists, it serves to classify the animals that belong to the order Carnivora. “They are part of a group of mammals with anatomical, physiological and genetic characteristics in common. It includes felines, dogs and hyenas, among others”, says biologist Rogério de Paula, from Ibama’s National Research Center for the Conservation of Natural Predators and a member of the Associação Pró-Carnívoros. The Carnivora order gathers around 170 animals, divided into ten families. As the classification does not only take into account the diet, some members are not close to a filet. This is the case of the kinka ox (Poto flavus), an animal that looks like a cross between a monkey, a cat and a bear, eating fruits and seeds. But the term carnivore is also used generically to classify animals – and even some plants! – who eat meat. To ensure a level playing field for everyone, we used this second meaning to decide who would make our ranking. The main criterion for defining the ten largest carnivores was maximum size – and not weight, which explains why the anaconda was ahead of the killer whale, for example. But the list has two other rules: first, we exclude baleen whales, a group that includes humpback whales, minke whales and blue whales. Despite feeding on fish and small crustaceans, they are not voracious predators, they just open their mouths and swallow whatever comes their way. Second, we consider the largest animal in each family – for example, only the largest crocodile. The man was also left out. With its 1.70 meters, it does not even appear among the 20 largest carnivores.
pleasures of the flesh The champion sperm whale eats squid up to 12 meters long
1st SPERM WALK (Physeter macrocephalus)
Size – 19 meters
Weight – 45 tons
Where it lives – In all oceans
What it eats – Giant squids, octopuses, sharks, rays and other fish
Despite eating squid that can reach 12 meters in length, this whale with its rough skin and rectangular head has a small, narrow jaw. Also, it only has teeth at the bottom of its mouth. When hunting, it can dive to a depth of 1,000 meters.
2nd SUCURI (Eunectes murinus)
Size – More than 10 meters
Weight – 30 to 150 kilos
Where do you live – South America
What it eats – Fish, frogs, turtles, capybaras and calves
The biggest snake in Brazil usually lives on the banks of rivers, mainly in the Amazon Basin. That’s where she hides to capture her prey. When it spots a victim, it pounces and wraps itself around the animal until it kills it by suffocation.
3rd ORCA (Orcinus orca)
Size – Up to 8 meters
Weight – 4.5 tons
Where it lives – In all oceans
What it eats – Penguins, seals, sea lions, squid, fish and dolphins
Although it is part of the dolphin family, the orca is known as the “killer whale” because of its large size, much larger than the average dolphin, and for being an excellent predator. Orcas live in groups of up to 40 animals and communicate with each other when hunting.
4th POROUS CROCODILE (Crocodylus porosus)
Size – 7 meters
Weight – 1.5 ton
Where it lives – Southeast Asia and northern Australia
What it eats – Amphibians, birds, reptiles and small mammals
It can swim more than 1,000 kilometers in the sea and is therefore also called a marine crocodile. Other big ones are the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), with up to 6 meters, and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), with up to 5 meters.
5th WHITE SHARK (Carcharodon carcharias)
Size – 6.4 meters
Weight – 3.3 tons
Where it lives – Tropical and temperate regions of the oceans
What it eats – Seals, sea lions, elephant seals, dolphins and turtles
The most feared predator in the oceans is responsible for several attacks on bathers. Another species, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), is also on the list of the largest carnivores, measuring 6 meters in length
6º BOA CONSTRUCTION (Boa constrictor)
Size – 5.5 meters
Weight – More than 20 kilos
Where it lives – From Mexico to northern Argentina
What it eats – Birds, lizards, small mammals and rodents
After killing its victims by suffocation, it swallows the animal from the head. After the feast, she falls into a state of lethargy that can last for weeks. Despite its frightening size, the boa constrictor is not venomous.
7th BLACK ALLIGATOR (Melanosuchus niger)
Size – 4.5 meters
Weight – Up to 300 kg
Where do you live – Amazon
What it eats – Birds, fish, tapirs, capybaras and snakes
Also known as black alligator, this reptile with a short snout and sharp teeth eats almost anything in sight, including piranhas. Considered the largest alligator in South America, it is in danger of being extinct
8th KODIAK BEAR (Ursus arctos middendorffi)
Size – 3 meters
Weight – 780 kilos
Where do you live – Alaska
What it eats – Mainly fish
This species is found only on remote Kodiak Island in Alaska. In addition to eating a lot of salmon, it also feeds on fruits and eventually grass. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus), measuring 2.5 meters and weighing 720 kilograms, is also among the largest carnivores.
9th TIGER (Panthera tigris)
Size – 2.2 meters (without the tail, which measures 1 meter)
Weight – Up to 290 kg
Where it lives – Russia, China and Southeast Asia
What it eats – Deer, pigs and peacocks, among other animals
The world’s largest cat prefers to hunt its victims at night and almost never attacks large mammals. Among the various subspecies, the largest is the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
10th LION (Panthera leo)
Size – 2.1 meters (without the tail, which measures 1 meter)
Weight – 170 to 230 kilograms
Where it lives – African Steppes
What it eats – Gazelles, antelopes, buffaloes, zebras and hippos, among other animals
Lions are the only felines that live in prides, formed by about 15 individuals. Hunting is the responsibility of the females. The roar of the “king of the jungle” can be heard up to 9 kilometers away