If you’re told to imagine an omnivore, you might think of a great white shark, a tiger, or a hawk, but one of the most voracious predators on Earth is much closer to home: the domestic cat.
New research shows how free-ranging cats (including domestic and domestic cats) have one of the most diverse diets of any carnivore on Earth, eating at least 2,084 different animal species.
to report IFL ScienceThe diet of cats includes 9% of known birds, 6% of known mammals and 4% of known reptile species and some insects and amphibians. “Our findings suggest that cats are nonspecific predators, consuming essentially any type of animal they can catch or scavenge,” the study authors write in their paper.
Cats will eat basically any animal they can catch or scavenge
To reach their findings, the researchers reviewed more than 500 previous studies that had been conducted in the field of cat diets. They found evidence of eating large animals such as ostriches, green sea turtles, and domestic cattle (probably feeding on their carcasses). In a similar feat, scientists observed a cat eating a whole kangaroo carcass.
Clearly, the new study’s findings are not good news for wildlife conservation. The new study estimates that up to 347 (16.65 percent) of the species eaten by cats have a conservation status of concern. The percentage of threatened prey species is significantly higher in island ecosystems. For example, in New Zealand, research conducted in the 1970s showed that local cats contributed to the extinction of at least six native bird species and more than 70 localized subspecies.
Given that cats have been linked to 26% of bird, mammal and reptile extinctions worldwide, the high diversity of species of conservation concern in cats’ diets (16.65%) is alarming, and they are considered significant threats to many endangered species. are taken
Along with the variety of cats’ diet, the number of animal deaths is also impressive. A study published in 2022 estimates that domestic cats kill between 160 and 270 million animals each year in the UK alone. In Australia, cats are responsible for the deaths of around 650 million reptiles each year. In this situation, it is not surprising that some areas have taken action against cats to protect their native wildlife. In 2021, one of the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia banned the movement of cats during the night and ordered cat owners to keep their cats indoors at all times.
So, the next time your cat purrs and spoils itself for you, don’t forget that you’re in the presence of a ruthless, cold-blooded killer who poses a significant threat to other animals.
Study findings in the journal Nature Communications It has been published.
