Cannibalism, the eating of one's own kind, is a practice that occurs in both humans and non-humans. Some people consumed their own kin to ensure that their spirits joined those of their ancestors; others ate their enemies in anger in the context of warfare, in some cases to acquire the powers of those they had defeated; and others ate sorcerers who they thought brought them disease and death.

Cannibalism is a biological survival mechanism in animals and humans; a cultural practice with ritualistic-related purposes, a subject of psychological study for its taboo and potential links to certain disorders and legal issue due to laws against murder and desecration of a corpse. But of it exists many types,let's find them out and the whys of cannibalism.

TYPE OF CANNIBALISM

THE WHYS OF CANNIBALISM

People practiced cannibalism for a variety of reasons, including survival during times of famine or starvation, and for cultural, ritualistic, or religious purposes, such as honoring ancestors or asserting dominance over enemies. It was also sometimes a practice linked to warfare, revenge, or medicinal beliefs.

TYPE OF CANNIBALISM

Human cannibalism

• Endocannibalism: The consumption of individuals from within one's own group.
  • Funeral rites: Often practiced as an act of respect for the dead or to guide their soul into the bodies of living relatives, as seen in some funerary rituals.
• Exocannibalism: The consumption of individuals from outside one's group, such as enemies.
  • Warfare: Practiced to humiliate enemies, gain their strength, or as a form of revenge.
• Survival cannibalism: Resorting to eating human flesh out of necessity during times of extreme starvation.
• Autocannibalism(autophagia): The act of eating one's own body.
  • Medical cannibalism: A historical practice, particularly in medieval Europe, where human body parts were used in medicine.

Animal cannibalism

Sexual cannibalism:

A female eats her mate, sometimes during or after mating.

Filial cannibalism:

Parents eat their own eggs or young.

Sibling cannibalism:

Offspring eat their brothers or sisters.

Matriphagy:

Offspring eat their own mother.

Gerontophagy:

Younger members eat the old or weak.