Pounds of Flesh: How Much Can They Eat?

Question: What is the largest species of bird taken by the peregrine falcon?

Answer: Peregrines have been seen attacking and killing sandhill cranes, which are much larger than them.

Question: What percentage of its body weight can a Burmese python consume at one time?

Answer: A Burmese python can consume animals that weigh as much as itself.

Question: How much of its body weight can a Nile crocodile eat?

Answer: A Nile crocodile can ingest prey animals that weigh half as much as itself.

Question: How many pounds of meat can a tiger eat at once?

Answer: A tiger can eat up to 60 pounds of flesh in a sitting.

Question: How many pounds of salmon can a grizzly bear eat in a day?

Answer: A grizzly bear can consume 80–100 pounds of salmon in one day. It often eats only the brain, skin, and eggs, which are all high in fat.

Question: Which animal kicked its way out of a feral Burmese python in the Everglades?

Answer: A dead Burmese python was found with the back end of an alligator protruding from its body. The alligator had managed to partially rip its way out of the snake after it was swallowed.

Question: Albatross chicks are up to 300 times heavier than this predator, yet they are at risk from it on Gough Island in the Atlantic.

Answer: Introduced house mice have become a major threat to the birds that breed on Gough Island. The hatchlings are unable to defend themselves from the mice, which have become much larger than normal house mice since they were introduced 150 years ago.

Question: How many pounds of meat is a large male lion capable of eating in one sitting?

Answer: A large male lion may eat up to 100 pounds of meat in a single sitting, though he usually eats far less than that.

Question: Which large animal is the orca least successful at hunting?

Answer: Orcas have been recorded attacking blue whales but have not been witnessed successfully killing them.

Question: What is the largest animal hunted by the leopard?

Answer: Leopards may take juvenile giraffes.