Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, both in ancient and in recent times.
A slug, Arion vulgaris, eating a dead individual of the same species
Nematode of the order Mononchida eating another Mononchid
Human cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal. The meaning of "cannibalism" has been extended into zoology to describe animals consuming parts of individuals of the same species as food.
A cannibal feast on Tanna, Vanuatu, c. 1885–1889
Sketch of the Mignonette by Tom Dudley. In English common law, the R v Dudley and Stephens (1884) case banned survival cannibalism after maritime disasters, which had been a widely accepted custom of the sea.
Enemies being killed and roasted in South America – engraving by Theodor de Bry (1592)
An 18th-century albarello used for storing mummia. Medicinal cannibalism was widespread in many countries of early modern Europe.