A piscivore is a carnivorous animal whose diet consists mainly of fish. The term is rooted in the Latin terms piscis, meaning ‘fish,’ and vorō, meaning ‘to devour.’[1] Although fish dominate their diet, most piscivores are not exclusive fish-eaters, often consuming other prey, such as small invertebrates, when needed.
Since fish are slimy and difficult to grasp, piscivores have specialized dentition for feeding on them. For instance, piscivorous mammals have sharp incisors and canines (heterodonty) for gripping and slicing prey. Moreover, many predatory fish possess closely spaced conical or needle-like teeth (homodonty) for holding other fish and swallowing them whole.
Additionally, the beaks of birds are specially modified for a piscivorous diet. While some, like pelicans, have pouches for scooping fish out of water, others, like mergansers, feature serrated edges that provide a firm grip on their slippery bodies.[2][3]
While not true piscivores, some omnivores, such as grizzly bears, jaguars, and wolves, rely heavily on fish when available. In fact, in a dietary context, humans can also be considered piscivores to some extent, as many prefer a fish-based diet.
The following table provides a comprehensive overview of the most commonly found piscivorous animal groups and their representative examples.
| Animal Group | Subgroup | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Chordates | Mammals | Otters, otter shrews, water opossums, aquatic genets, American minks, fishing cats, flat-headed cats, seals (fur & harbor seals, as well as some sea lions), dolphins (orca, dusky dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, & Amazon river dolphins), porpoises, bats (bulldog & fish-eating bats) |
| Birds | Cormorants, penguins, eagles (bald eagles, white-tailed, & African fish eagles), boobies, herons, loons, kingfishers, pelicans, egrets, grebes, storks, cranes, terns, gulls, petrels (diving, fulmarine, & gadfly petrels), ospreys*, mergansers, anhingas, frigatebirds, albatross | |
| Fish | Many sharks, bowfins, piranhas, bluefish, lionfish, dragonfish, silver arowanas, marlins, walleyes, brown trouts, perch, alligator gars, barracudas, barramundis, tunas, pikes, most mackerels, arapaimas, giant trevallies, billfishes, swordfish, salmons (Chinook and Coho salmons), African tigerfish, Kidako morays | |
| Amphibians | Axolotl, salamanders (hellbender & giant salamanders) | |
| Reptiles | Crocodiles (gharials, mugger, saltwater & freshwater crocodiles), Komodo dragons, Asian water monitors, snakes (yellow & green anacondas, cottonmouths, & sea snakes), alligator snapping turtles | |
| Arthropods | Arachnids | Fishing spiders |
| Insects | Giant water bugs, dragonfly (larvae), water scorpions | |
| Crustaceans | American & spiny lobsters, Dungeness crabs, mantis shrimp | |
| Mollusks | Cephalopods | Cuttlefish, squids (colossal, giant, & Humboldt squids), octopuses (Giant Pacific & mimic octopuses) |
| Gastropods | Cone snails | |
| Cnidarians | Scyphozoans | Lion’s mane & moon jellyfish |
| Anthozoans | Fish-eating anemones |
* Highly specialized piscivore
The habit of consuming fish is not recent. It first emerged in tetrapods during the Devonian Period, followed by the evolution of insectivory and herbivory. Even some prehistoric dinosaurs, like Baryonyx, Spinosaurus, and Elasmosaurus, are assumed to have had a piscivorous diet.[4][5]
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