cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51580591
this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2026
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teeth would tell you it’s prey
Look at the bones man!
Teeth will tell you about the animal's own diet - not whether it's being preyed upon. Carnivores and omnivores are preyed on as well.
aren’t most obligate carnivores not directly eaten often?
It depends a bit on your scope. If you think of obligate carnivores as typically very large, possibly apex predators, then they might not be preyed on much in the traditional sense. But carnivores also number insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and lots of smaller mammals like weasels, bats or cats that are themselves prey to other animals.
The point is that being 'predator' does not exclude an animal from also being prey. 'Predator' and 'prey' describe relationships, not mutually exclusive categories.
i get the point you are making, and i concede it
but i was specifically thinking mammal given the context and for which teeth would make it obvious
even the smaller ones, cats in natural habitats come to mind are apex, and i remember learning the avoidance of eating them had to do with parasite avoidance when other food was available
I did not realize weasels were obligate carnivores and bats were a great example as well
Parasite avoidance is a factor, but mostly in the inhibition of cannibalism.
Cats are far from apex predators. They are prey to birds of prey, canids and even bigger mustellids like badgers and wolverines. But birds, like the eurasian eagle-owl and canids like coyotes are their main concern.
And we can clearly see the prey behavior deeply ingrained in our very cautious, flighty friends.
cool, thank you for the replies
And that's not even getting into the whole fish side of the thing!
*eye placement not teeth.
Prey animals have eyes on the sides of their head for better peripheral vision. Predators have eyes on the front for hunting.
same idea, oblique carnivores have special teeth
either way the counter argument to my thought was weasels and would work for eye location as well