what is cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. It is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Cannibalism is prevalent in aquatic ecosystems, in which up to approximately 90% of the organisms engage in cannibalistic activity at some point in their life-cycle. Cannibalism is not restricted to carnivorous species: it also occurs in herbivores and in detritivores. Sexual cannibalism normally involves the consumption of the male by the female individual before, during, or after copulation. Human cannibalism is well documented, both historically and in recent times. Cannibalism has been practiced under a variety of circumstances and for various motives, including institutionalized, survival, and pathological cannibalism. In the United States, there are no laws against cannibalism per se, but most, if not all, states have enacted laws that indirectly make it impossible to legally obtain and consume the body matter. Murder, for instance, is a likely criminal charge, regardless of any consent.