Blue whale
The average whale eats around 2 tons of krill every day, and some large blue whales eat up to 6 tons. Blue whales in the waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic weigh on average 100,000 pounds, but Antarctic blue whales grow much larger and can weigh up to 330,000 pounds.
Burmese pythons
Pythons eat in huge portions that are often bigger than themselves. They can swallow small deer and other mammals, reptiles, and some larger pythons can even swallow alligators. Interestingly, these snakes undergo a sort of «internal remodeling», when their bodies literally change to allow them to consume more food.
After a hearty meal, the python's metabolism speeds up to help it digest its prey. Scientists have noticed that even the snake's organs grow, some of them by as much as 150%. They then return to normal about 24-48 hours later, once the prey has been fully digested.
Big cats
Tigers, for example, eat up to 40 kg of meat in one sitting, and can then go without food for 2 weeks.
Leopards are known for dragging their prey, which is usually 2-3 times their own size, up into a tree with them to keep it away from lions and hyenas, which compete with the leopard for food.
Lions share their food with their pride, but are themselves capable of eating up to 50 kg of meat in one sitting.
Giraffes
To maintain their massive body weight and generate enough energy to move, giraffes eat tree leaves constantly. On average they consume around 35 kg of food a day.
Hippos
Even though many people associate the hippopotamus with being a herbivore, they can eat animal products if necessary. Hippos eat up to 40 kg of food every day.
Rhinos
Unlike the hippopotamus, rhinos are entirely herbivorous. Their diet can vary depending on the vegetation available to them. But on average, a rhino consumes up to 55 kg of grass every day.
Bears
Bears are omnivores, feeding on both plant and animal food.
Brown bears are known to consume an average of 5,000 calories a day. But in autumn, before going into hibernation, they usually begin to gain weight and consume almost four times more calories than usual – around 20,000 a day. That is roughly 40 kilograms of their standard diet.
That said, grizzly bears, for example, can eat all day long, while polar bears eat only once every few days, but eat up to 60 kg at a time.
Giant pandas
Unlike other bear species, giant pandas eat only bamboo. They consume 35-38 kg of bamboo a day.
Since bamboo does not contain a large amount of nutrients, pandas need to eat a lot to get everything their bodies need to survive.
Elephants
As with the giant panda and other large herbivores, part of the reason elephants eat so much is that their digestive system works inefficiently. About half of what an elephant eats remains undigested.
It is estimated that elephants typically eat around 160 kg of food every day. The average elephant spends 16-18 hours, or about 80% of its day, eating.
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are always hungry. They expend energy so quickly that they can starve to death if they go more than two hours without eating. In a day they eat so much that, converted into human food, it would be the equivalent of 300 hamburgers.
If they run out of energy, hummingbirds enter a sleep-like state called «torpor». This is a deep sleep in which their heartbeat slows and their energy levels drop significantly.
Pygmy shrews
The American pygmy shrew is another example of an insatiable eater. These creatures are considered the smallest mammals in the world, with most of them measuring just 4-5 cm.
Despite its tiny size, the average pygmy shrew eats at least 1.25 times its own body weight every day. And the American pygmy shrew eats 3 times its own weight.
If a shrew goes more than an hour without food, it will most likely die because of its rapid metabolism and heartbeat. The pygmy shrew's heart beats at around 1,200 beats per minute, faster than that of any other known mammal.
Black-footed cats
These are voracious predators that eat up to 20% of their body weight every day. Or rather, every night, because during the day they sleep. Black-footed cats have an incredibly fast metabolism and cannot go long without food.
These cats eat roughly every 50 minutes – they can catch and eat up to 12-14 birds in a single night.
Locusts
The average locust eats as much as it weighs every day. Of course, this insect is very small. But they live in enormous swarms. These swarms contain up to 80 million locusts, and in just one day they can eat as much food as would be enough to feed 35,000 people.
Tasmanian devil
It eats without restraint whenever it can. The Tasmanian devil can eat up to 40% of its body weight at once if it is unsure when its next meal will be.
