7 Animals That Eat Their Young

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Cannibalism is regarded as taboo throughout the world, and the act only becomes more horrific when you add babies to the equation.

These cases of offspring cannibalism can be found in mammals, birds, and spiders — and scientists have long puzzled over why and how this would have developed as a survival mechanism.

These animals are more likely to eat their young in the spring and summer.

#7: Polar Bear — Cannibalism Due to Climate Change

Sand Tiger Shark mothers eat their young while they are still in utero.

#6: Sand Tiger Shark — Cannibalism Before Birth

#5: Chicken — Cannibalism for Calcium

for the most part, these animals eat their young when they’re suffering from a calcium deficiency.

Normally it’s not the mother, father, or even a competing male that kills the young.

#4: Prairie Dog — Cannibalism of Nieces and Nephews

#3: Lion — Cannibalism for Social Dominance

Fathers evict their cubs from the pack at a certain age so they don’t become competition.

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