The 20 Animals with the Biggest Appetites

There are a wide variety of diets in the animal kingdom. Certain animals eat multiple times a day while others eat once every couple of weeks. In this article, we will discuss the 20 animals with the biggest appetites. Some of these animals eat a lot per pound, some eat a lot in comparison to their body mass, and others consume food for extended periods. Regardless, all the animals on this list are hungry and have large appetites.

1. Blue Whale

When thinking of animals with the biggest appetites, most people would think of the blue whale. These giants weigh up to 150 tons. Also, the blue whale consumes up to 6 tons, or 12,000 pounds, of food per day.

2. Polyphemus Moth 

Unlike the blue whale, the Polyphemus moth might not be the first creature you think of having a big appetite. Although Polyphemus moths cannot eat or bite as adults, when they are caterpillars they can consume 86,000 times their weight.

3. Giraffe

Weighing up to 3,000 pounds, the giraffe is the eighth heaviest land mammal. Giraffes are considered browsers because they mostly consume vegetation that grows at a higher level. Their tall height, long tongue, and other adaptations allow them to eat over 75 pounds of food a day! 

4. Bee Hummingbird

Despite their small size, these hummingbirds can eat half of their body weight in sugar daily. Additionally, they can store up to 17% of their body weight as fat. Also, these birds have a large appetite and crave a meal every 15 minutes. 

5. Hippo

This giant consumes about two percent of their body weight in food each day. Since hippos weigh between 2,800 and 10,000 pounds, that means they are eating between 30 and 150 pounds of food daily.

6. Pygmy Shrew

Another potential surprise on our list of animals with the largest appetites is the pygmy shrew. This forager consumes 125% of its body weight daily. Also, they consume their meals every 180 minutes or less.

7. Rhinoceros

There are two types of rhinos when it comes to dining, grazers and browsers. Grazers have certain adaptations that allow them to consume large amounts of food at once. The African white rhino is the largest grazing species and can require over 100 pounds of food a day to sustain its appetite.

8. African Elephant

Although these elephants only eat between 1% and 1.5% of their body weight, their massive size makes that a substantial amount of food. Male elephants may need to consume up to 528 pounds of food a day. Female elephants can eat up to 480 pounds of food a day.

9. Giant Pandas

Giant pandas feed for 12 hours a day and feast on 26-84 pounds of bamboo daily. However, their gut bacteria is not equipped to process all of the plant matter properly. Furthermore, the majority of their energy goes to excreting those pounds of undigested bamboo. Due to their need to excrete this waste, the giant panda poops around 40 times a day!

10. Desert Locust

Next is a creature you may have never expected, the desert locust. Located within northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, this insect is capable of eating its body weight in food a day. With each insect doing so, a swarm of these eats about 423 million pounds of food every day.

11. Tasmanian Devil

Although these marsupials only eat every 3-8 days on average, they don’t skimp on the portions. An average adult Tasmanian devil can fill up its stomach to 40% of its body weight in one meal session. This helps prevent them from getting hungry quickly.

12. Grizzly Bear

Despite their large size, the grizzly bear’s diet is 90% vegetation. Grizzly bears are grazers, and during the autumn when they are preparing for hibernation, these bears can consume up to 90 pounds of food a day.

13. Great White Shark

The biggest great white sharks can reach up to 20 feet long. Great whites eat around 0.5 to 3 percent of their body weight per day. The average weight of a great white shark is around 2,750 pounds meaning that they eat an average of about 48 pounds of food per day!

14. Polar Bear

These bears are the largest bears globally and are capable of eating 10 to 20 percent of their entire body weight. They eat a varied diet and have giant stomachs. They use about 97 percent of the fat they eat to help them survive in their harsh habitat.

15. Gila Monster

Gila monsters primarily eat the eggs of various animals. Including lizards, turtles, birds, and snakes. Although they tend to go long durations without consuming food, when they do eat they can eat up to 35% of their body weight.

16. Lion

Despite only eating every three to four days, lions can consume almost a quarter of their body weight when they do eat a meal. Their sharp teeth help them tear into their prey and they can consume up to 50kg or 110 pounds of meat at a time.

17. Whale Shark

Like the blue whale, this massive marine animal eats quite a bit. The whale shark feeds on plankton. They are active feeders and young whale sharks eat around 45 pounds of plankton per day. Adult whale sharks eat even more.

18. Tiger

Similarly to lions, this apex predator may go a week without hunting. However, when they do eat they can consume as much as 75 pounds of food in one night. Since tigers range from 220 pounds to 580 pounds, that means they consume 12%-34% of their body weight in food.

19. Elephant Seal

Next on our list of animals with the largest appetites is the elephant seal. These seals can weigh up to 8,800 pounds and mainly eat squid and fish. On average, an elephant seal eats up to 270 pounds of food per day. However, male elephant seals will eat three times more prey than females.

20. Gaur

The Indian guar falls into the group of wild oxen. These animals may not eat as much as some on this list, but they do like to eat. Gaur feed between 10 and 15 hours a day, and in that time they may consume about 44 pounds of food!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © ronniechua/ via Getty Images