Piscivore

Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) eating a fish

A piscivore /ˈpɪsᵻvɔər/ is a carnivorous animal which eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the diet of early tetrapods (amphibians); insectivory came next, then in time, reptiles added herbivory.

Some animals, such as the sea lion and alligator, are not completely piscivorous, often preying on aquatic invertebrates or land animals in addition to fish, while others, such as the bulldog bat and gharial, are strictly dependent on fish for food. Humans can live on fish-based diets as can their carnivorous domesticated pets, such as dogs and cats. The name "piscivore" is derived from the Latin word for fish, piscis. Some creatures, including cnidarians, octopi, squid, spiders, sharks, cetaceans, grizzly bears, jaguars, wolves, snakes, turtles, and sea gulls, may have fish as significant if not dominant portions of their diets.

Examples of extant piscivores

• Aquatic genet
• Flat-headed cat
• Bulldog bat
• Sea lion
• Otter shrew
• European otter
• American mink
• Fishing cat
• Amazon river dolphin
• Giant otter
• Bottlenose dolphin
• Harbor seal
• Osprey
• Merganser
• Penguin
• Bald eagle
• Gharial
• Yellow-bellied sea snake
• African tigerfish
• Barracuda
• Lemon shark
• Fishing spider

Extinct and prehistoric piscivores

Numerous extinct and prehistoric animals are either hypothesized to be piscivores, or are confirmed to be piscivores through fossil evidence. Some animals are not completely piscivorous, often preying on aquatic invertebrates and\or land animals in addition to fish, while others are strictly dependent on fish for food.

• Baryonyx (scales of the fish Lepidotes have been found where its stomach should be along with iguanadon remains)
• Laganosuchus (flattened head suggests that it passively waited for fish to swim near its mouth)
• Pteranodon (remains of fish found in the beaks and stomach cavities of some specimens)
• Elasmosaurus
• Thyrsocles (fossil specimen found with the stomach stuffed with the extinct herring Xyne grex)
• Xiphactinus (a 4-meter-long specimen was found with a perfectly preserved skeleton of its relative, Gillicus, in its stomach)
• Diplomystus (a small relative of the herring, numerous fossils of individuals that died while trying to swallow other fishes, including smaller individuals of the same species, are known)
• Ornithocheirus (it's been theorized the animal probably was piscivorous due to the shape of it's jaws)
• Titanoboa (multiple crainial and tooth characteristics suggest it was primarily piscivorous)