Random Animals That Devour Their Prey In Just One Bite (11 items)

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  (#2) Crocodile

  • Crocodylidae

  Though pythons have swallowed crocodiles and alligators, crocs have similar biological mechanisms in place to swallow and digest whole prey. Crocodiles have something that snakes don't to help them gobble up their prey in one fell swoop: gizzard stones. Crocs have gizzard stones in their stomachs to help digest things that are not easily digestible, like bones. This is just part of why they can swallow prey that's up to 23% of their body mass. 

  Because crocs can eat so much in one meal, they're able to go long periods of time without eating if they must. It's likely that that attribute contributed to the longevity of crocs - they've been around for 80 million years. 
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  (#11) Dinosaur

  • Dinosauria

  Yes, dinosaurs are extinct (unless Jurassic Park someday becomes a reality). Think for a moment about different kinds of dinosaurs. Take the T-Rex, which has a very large head and rips up its prey. Now, think about a brontosaurus - small head, right? That's not a coincidence.

  Researchers have learned that dinosaurs likely didn't chew their food simply because they didn't have time to. A large herbivore, like the brontosaurus, would have to be eating constantly (think about how much an elephant has to eat, and it's a lot smaller than a dinosaur). 

  Being able to swallow food whole eliminated that problem, because they could consume large quantities of food quickly. The dinosaurs' stomachs and metabolisms would have allowed them to still digest the vast amount of food they ate. 
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  (#3) Frog

  • Anura

  No, seriously. Frogs can eat snakes. An Australian tree frog was caught on camera swallowing a snake whole (yes, this is as amazing as it sounds). 

  Though frogs aren't eating prey that's massively bigger than them, like the olive python, they still swallow their prey whole. It's not uncommon for a larger frog to eat a mouse whole, for example. Some bullfrogs have also eaten other frogs. No one is safe from that guy. 

  So, how can frogs do this? It makes sense that a snake has muscles to crush and push down prey. But frogs clearly don't have that capability. They are, however, pushing down food -with their eyes. When swallowing, its eyes retract downward towards the esophagus, effectively pushing down prey.
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  (#6) Great Blue Heron

  • Ardea herodias

  Great blue herons are all over North America, so chances are, you've seen one out in the wild. They look like less cool flamingos, standing peacefully in the water on their skinny legs. Peaceful they are not, however. The great blue heron also swallows its prey whole.

  The heron eats fish and other water creatures, and that makes perfect sense. But land creatures are in danger, too. A great blue heron was filmed in someone's yard eating a baby gopher. The heron picks it up and then eventually chokes it down whole. They are not picky eaters, either. They will eat anything from shrimp to frogs to small rodents to your very expensive koi in your backyard pond. 
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  (#10) Shark

  • Selachimorpha

  Sharks aren't the terrifying killers you probably think they are (a 100-pound shark eats about three pounds of fish per day), mainly because they have slow metabolisms. 

  Wobbegongs, however, are what probably fuel nightmares. The wobbegong was spotted along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia inhaling another shark. Not chewing... swallowing whole. 

  If the picture didn't convince you that the wobbegong should not be messed with, don't forget that it has very sharp teeth and very strong jaws, just in case you are too big for it to swallow in one gulp. If the wobbegong snatches you, you are out of luck. 
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  (#8) Pelican

  • Pelecanus

  For a while, everyone assumed that pelicans were swallowing fish whole and that was about it. Made sense. However, a pelican was observed eating a pigeon, and science had to re-evaluate. Pelicans do eat birds, filling their bills with water to drown their prey and then swallow it. 

  Nigel the pelican in Finding Nemo is not quite accurately represented. They are not sweet like Nigel, but rather straight-up blood-thirsty killers. 

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