This behavior can be triggered by factors like food shortages, stress, or the need to eliminate competition. Below are 12 animals for which cannibalism plays a notable role in their survival.

1. Black Widow Spider
Female black widow spiders are infamous for sometimes eating the male after mating. This provides extra nutrients that help with egg development.

2. Redback Spider
Much like black widows, female redback spiders may consume their mates, likely to boost nourishment for reproduction.

3. Cats
In rare cases, especially among feral cats, mothers may eat stillborn kittens or those that die shortly after birth, possibly to keep the nesting area clean.

4. Rats
Mother rats may consume weak or deformed offspring, particularly if they are stressed or their environment is disturbed.

5. Praying Mantis
Female praying mantises often eat the male during or after mating, which may improve their chances of producing healthy eggs.

6. Sand Tiger Sharks
Inside the womb, sand tiger shark embryos eat their siblings, ensuring only the strongest survive to be born.

7. Hamsters
Female hamsters sometimes eat their young if they feel threatened, stressed, or if the babies appear unhealthy.

8. Lions
When a new male lion takes over a pride, he may kill—and occasionally eat—cubs fathered by another male to bring females back into breeding condition.

9. Chickens
Chickens can peck and even eat each other, especially in crowded or stressful conditions, which is why farmers take steps to prevent this.

10. Polar Bears
In times of food scarcity, polar bears—particularly males—have been known to eat cubs when their usual prey is unavailable.

11. Rabbits
Mother rabbits may eat their young under extreme stress or harsh environmental conditions as a survival response.

12. Burying Beetles
These beetles typically prepare food for their larvae by burying carcasses, but if resources run low, they may resort to eating their own young.