10 cute animals you didn't know were cannibalistic

Hamsters have been known to cannibalize each other, but this phenomenon seems to occur as a result of a restricted diet. According to Gizmodo, switching hamsters to an all-corn diet instead of a more varied one that includes grains, roots, and insects can cause the mothers to eat their young.

Also known as "savaging," cannibalism among pigs is associated with sows.

Piglet savaging often occurs with a pig's first litter.

In this case, cannibalism is sometimes attributed to a hormone change prior to giving birth, but it can also be related to a pig's nervousness, stress, or external environment.

They might be a popular pet on social media, but African pygmy hedgehogs are known to cannibalize their young if the mothers get frightened.

In order to prevent litters of newborn hedgehogs from being eaten, some veterinarians recommend keeping hedgehog mothers separated from other hedgehogs and people prior to and after birth.

Rabbits don't engage in cannibalistic behavior often, but it can happen among female rabbits that have just given birth.

They may eat their young in response to a change in environment, lack of resources. Infanticide among rabbit mothers could also be a survival mechanism if the rabbit senses a predator nearby.

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Ladybugs, also known as ladybirds in the UK, are recognizable thanks to their red coloring and unique spots. But this beetle has a dark, cannibalistic secret.

The larvae of several varieties of ladybugs, including two-spot ladybugs, eat ladybug eggs that have yet to hatch (their own siblings), reported the BBC.

Research has shown that ladybug larvae who eat their unhatched family members develop faster than non-cannibal larvae.

Ducklings over a month old are most likely to exhibit this tendency.

Ducklings are said to exhibit cannibalistic behavior when they are bored or aggravated by overcrowding, a lack of ventilation, or poor nutrition.

Chickens have a social hierarchy — it's literally a pecking order — yet chicken cannibalism is not an uncommon occurrence. Chickens have been known to peck, tear, and even consume the skin, tissue, and organs of others in a flock.

Although cannibalism among chickens (and other types of poultry) is more common in certain breeds, the aggressive behavior can also be limited and controlled via preventative measures. These include giving chickens plenty of space to avoid overcrowding, making sure water and food resources are available, and giving chickens a way to avoid too much sunlight. (Chickens should get a maximum 16 hours of light, artificial or otherwise, per day.)

As cannibalism is a learned behavior for chickens, it can spread through a flock.

Cannibalistic members of this breed have been found to have bigger skulls than their non-cannibal counterparts.

They also typically have enlarged teeth. These morphed salamanders have been found to eat smaller members of their species every now and again, all in the name of eliminating competition for valuable resources.

Researchers have found that cannibalism in this species seems to happen most frequently in areas with a high density of the salamanders.

Male red squirrels commit infanticide and cannibalism. The pups are often killed and eaten by nearby male squirrels who are typically not the father.

Interestingly, the infanticide occurs most often when food has been plentiful.

According to National Geographic, that's because female squirrels are more likely to have a second litter in years when more food is available. Since female squirrels have multiple mating partners before the first round of breeding, killing that initial litter allows a male to ensure the second litter will be only his.