Animals That Kill For Fun

While all animals need to kill others for food, some do it out of enjoyment. These animals are known as predators and live either in the wild or in domesticated settings. 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Some are known for being predators and won’t surprise you, such as wolves, lions, and tigers.

While this may sound like they are horrible, ruthless killers, they help to regulate the populations of certain species, adding to your ecosystem. 

This article is going to provide you with a list of some animals that kill for fun!

Cats 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Cats come in all shapes and sizes – think tigers, and panthers! 

These animals are known for being predators and are able to kill the largest prey with an ease that will surprise you. Even domestic cats have been known to kill birds, mice, rats, and rabbits just for the fun of it! 

They are mostly solitary hunters, but will sometimes group together, especially if they are feral cats who rely on hunting to survive. 

Ants 

Animals That Kill For Fun

This may be hard for you to believe, but those tiny ants you kill for fun, also enjoy killing for fun. 

They enjoy turf wars where they fight against opposing colonies for control of the main estate. Those who win these battles will often take over other colonies, as well as their beloved eggs. 

If this didn’t seem cruel enough, they also enjoy feasting on the bodies of the ants they have killed, as well as enslaved, or captive ants. 

Chimpanzees 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Chimpanzees are territorial creatures who aren’t afraid of using aggression against other chimps when clashes arise. 

Often, these disputes will turn into total warfare, as these chimps will combat each other. A lot of the time, this violence can be fatal, leading to the killing, and even cannibalism, of fellow chimps. 

These chimps rarely show remorse, as this behavior is fueled by hatred and revenge. 

Dolphins 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Although dolphins are known as gentle, loving creatures with constant smiles on their face, they are a fascinating example of a predatory animal. 

They have a variety of techniques under their sleeve for hunting prey, such as ‘fish whacking. This is when they use their tails to kill small fish. They also have incredible social behaviors that allow them to work together as predators. 

This can be in order to defend their territory, prey on fish, or just have fun together! 

Elephants 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Elephants are the largest land animal in the world. They are notoriously known for their intelligence, and gentle nature. 

However, this is not the case for all elephants. There have been several reports in Africa, where elephants were reported to have killed several rhinoceroses. Some of them were even raped before being killed. 

The elephants did not eat these rhinos, they simply killed them for the fun of it. 

Gorillas 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Gorillas, often found in Africa, are large apes. They are actually vegetarian and usually display gentle natures. 

However, if they feel threatened, they will display an intense form of aggression and kill other animals. They’ve also been known to kill humans before. 

They normally live in family groups with several females, and a male silverback, as well as their children.

As mentioned earlier, they normally live in peace, but together, they will display aggression and kill other animals (and sometimes humans) in order to defend their territory. 

Leopards  

Animals That Kill For Fun

Leopards are known for being notorious predators, as they are the fastest animals on the globe. 

They can outrun anything, such as wild pigs, deer, and antelope. While they do hunt for food, what many don’t know, is that these animals also kill animals for the simple fun of it!

Orcas

Animals That Kill For Fun

Orcas are large marine mammals that are found in oceans all over the world. They are incredibly intelligent and are known for working together with other orcas in order to catch their prey. 

They are apex predators, which means that no animals hunt them (apart from humans), but they feed on a variety of animals. These include seals, seabirds, fish, squid, and even great white sharks. 

They are notorious killers but have never been reported for killing any humans in the wild (in captivity is another story). 

Spotted Hyenas 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Spotted hyenas are pack animals that are very aggressive and territorial predators. They are great hunters and can adapt to all kinds of environments. 

These animals have a scary reputation in the wild, so other animals try to avoid them at all costs. 

However, some other predators enjoy joining forces with them in order to form hunting parties. 

Pirate Spiders

Animals That Kill For Fun

This spider is a devious little thing as it uses deception to hunt its prey. It will make its way onto an existing web, and pluck the strings of it to mimic the sound of prey. 

As the host spider emerges, the pirate spider will attack it, killing it in order to take ownership of the web. It may also occasionally eat the spider it has killed, but this is not always the case.  

Lions

Animals That Kill For Fun

If you’re the owner of a pet cat, you’ll notice that some of them enjoy playing with wild mice before giving them a fatal blow. 

Like their smaller family members, lions display some similar behavior. When it comes to smaller prey, such as small birds, lions have displayed behavior where they play with them before the kill. 

This is a form of amusement for them before they kill them. 

Lemurs

Animals That Kill For Fun

Found on the island of Madagascar, lemurs are small primates known for their amusing features, such as their furry bodies, and long tails. 

They also have a variety of different social behaviors. One of these is in their hunting strategy. They will sometimes form partnerships with other lemurs to defend their territory, or to hunt for food. 

This is a very effective strategy for them and aids in their survival. 

Honey Badgers 

Animals That Kill For Fun

Don’t let the cute appearance of these little animals get the better of you. They are known for displaying aggression, and they seem to thoroughly enjoy killing other animals. 

They like to attack animals that are much larger than they are, simply out of pure enjoyment. It has been reported that honey badgers have broken into chicken coops and murdered multiple hens, only eating a handful of their eggs. 

Foxes

Animals That Kill For Fun

These carnivorous mammals are found all over the world. They are intelligent creatures that are known for being able to outwit their prey. While they tend to hunt alone, they will sometimes form partnerships with others in order to kill larger animals. 

They are very good at stalking their prey, pouncing unnoticed. Once they have hold of their prey, they will bite down on its neck, killing it instantly. 

Cuckoo Bird

Animals That Kill For Fun

These birds are some of nature’s most effective killers, and they are known for their ruthless nature. 

As soon as the eggs hatch, the baby birds will start to kill and hunt any other eggs in the nest. This is to ensure their sole survival, as they all want to be the main priority to be taken care of by the host bird. 

If the host bird does not take care of the Cuckoo chicks, the mother Cuckoo will then attack and kill the host bird, leaving the chicks to fend for themselves.

These birds will do anything to win, especially kill. 

Caracal

Animals That Kill For Fun

Another cat that’s made it onto this list is the caracal. These cats are native to the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. 

They are agile, stealthy hunters, and their ears have the ability to move independently. This enables them to detect any prey, or fellow predators, from a distance. 

When they’ve laid eyes on their prey, they will stalk it before pouncing unexpectedly, killing it with a bite to the neck. 

While they tend to hunt on their own, during the winter when food resources are scarce, it is common for them to hunt in pairs. 

Humans 

Animals That Kill For Fun

We, humans, are the most successful predators on the planet. We live in each and every section of the globe and have adapted to different ecosystems. 

Humans do kill for food, but they also kill for sport, fur, and other materials and substances. Some of the animals that humans kill are deer, wolves, foxes, elephants, gorillas, and whales. 

Despite the use of technology that has given humans an advance when it comes to hunting, they are still considered inept predators when compared to animals such as lions and tigers. 

Final Thoughts 

To conclude, while most animals kill other animals for food, there are some that kill for the enjoyment of it. 

Some of these live solely in the wild, such as dolphins and orcas, whereas others live as domesticated animals, like cats. 

Animals that kill without the need for food are known as predators. While this may sound cruel, they play an important part in our ecosystem, as they help manage the population growth of different species. 

We, humans, are also predators, as we kill animals, not just for food, but for enjoyment, clothing, and other materials.

Olivia Kepner