Cats world wide eat an array of species, from sea turtles to camels
It’s well-known that free-ranging cats eat a number of birds and rodents. But researchers not too long ago documented cats world wide consuming 2,000 species, together with reptiles, mammals, even plenty of bugs, like monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and emperor dragonflies (Anax imperator). Even extra shocking, the research in Nature Communications uncovered proof of cats scavenging species corresponding to camels, cows and endangered inexperienced sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings. The researchers’ findings got here from a search of printed and unpublished literature on cat predation.
“Domestic cats (Felis catus) are beloved companions for many people, but they are also invasive predators that have been linked to numerous birds, mammals and reptiles going extinct,” stated Andrew Mitchinson, an editor on the journal Nature, in a associated article.
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