Episode Information

In an ever changing world food is one of the few constants. It’s the driver for almost anything that creatures do, large or small, predator or prey. Appetites vary wildly from species to species, but some seem to take more than their fair share. Big greedy guts are obvious, like huge-mouthed whales that can consume tonnes of fish a day, but others are more elusive. Despite their diminutive size, tiny shrews must eat their bodyweight in food every day just to survive. Many factors influence how much an animal gobbles up – lifestyle, metabolism, diet, all these and more play their part. Some creatures stuff themselves silly in one sitting, but then don’t eat another morsel for a month, while others only eat a little, but do so almost constantly. Life in the natural world can be hard, and challenging lives require giant appetites.