Various kinds of animals eat several types of meals: carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat vegetation, and omnivores eat each vegetation and meat. Examples of animals with extra specialised diets embody fructivores (fruit eaters); and folivores (leaf eaters).
On this web page you’ll discover details on carnivores, omnivores and herbivores, plus many examples of extra specialised animal diets.
Web page Index
Vitamins
All organisms, be they animal, plant, fungus, and even single-celled lifeforms corresponding to micro organism, want the vitamins contained in meals with a view to stay.
Vitamins present an organism with each vitality and materials from which new cells might be made.
With out meals, an animal wouldn’t have the vitality required to breathe and transfer, or the fabric required to develop, restore itself or reproduce.
Autotrophs Vs Heterotrophs
Organisms corresponding to vegetation are autotrophic, which signifies that they produce their very own meals.
Vegetation do that through photosynthesis – a course of during which vitality from the solar is changed into meals.
Yow will discover out extra about photosynthesis on this web page: Photosynthesis Information
Animals are heterotrophs. Heterotrophic organisms are unable to provide their very own meals, subsequently should devour natural matter (both dwelling organisms or the stays of dwelling organisms) to get the vitamins wanted for all times.
Even herbivorous (plant-eating) animals corresponding to rabbits are heterotrophs, as they devour vegetation, that are natural.
An animal is described as being both a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore relying on the kind of meals it consumes.
- Carnivore = meat eater
- Herbivore = plant eater
- Omnivore = eats meat and vegetation
All animals – even carnivores – are reliant on autotrophs corresponding to vegetation or algae; though carnivores don’t eat vegetation themselves, their prey does!
Yow will discover out extra in regards to the relationship between vegetation and several types of animals on this web page: What Is An Ecosystem?
Beneath, we have a look at these three foremost sorts of animals, then check out extra specialised eaters, together with folivores (leaf-eaters), frugivores (fruit-eaters) and animals that observe coprophagy (you don’t wish to know!).
What Do Animals Eat – Carnivores
A carnivore is an animal that eats different animals. Carnivores are also called meat-eaters.
Predators are carnivores that hunt prey; scavengers are carnivores that eat carrion (the stays of animals).
An apex predator is a predator that has no predators of its personal. Examples of apex predators embody the tiger and the killer whale / orca. You’ll be able to see extra examples of apex predators on this web page: Apex Predators
The ancestors of all amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds have been carnivores. All of those animal teams belong to group of vertebrates generally known as tetrapods. The primary tetrapods have been amphibious, piscivorous (fish-eating) animals.
Each the earliest reptiles, and the earliest mammals, are thought to have been insectivores (insect-eaters). Paleontologists use varied clues, corresponding to the form of a fossilized animal’s enamel, to inform what meals it ate when it was alive.
Carnivores might be given names relying on the quantity of meat they devour. Hypercarnivores have a eating regimen consisting of over 70% meat; the eating regimen of mesocarnivores consists of 30–70% meat, and hypocarnivores eat lower than 30% meat. (Mesocarnivores and hypocarnivores may additionally be referred to as omnivores.)
Obligate carnivores are animals (corresponding to cats) that require vitamins solely present in animal flesh, and are unable to interrupt down plant matter.
Predatory carnivores have variations corresponding to energy, pace, forward-facing eyes, sharp enamel and talons or claws for catching prey.
Diversifications of scavengers embody an acute sense of scent for finding meals, tough enamel or claws for tearing meals aside, and a sturdy digestion for breaking apart bones and / or rotting meat.
You’ll be able to see examples of carnivores on this web page: Examples of Carnivores
What Do Animals Eat – Herbivores
Herbivores are animals whose eating regimen consists totally or primarily of vegetation. Plant materials is usually powerful and fibrous, containing comparatively little vitality.
Due to this fact, herbivores require specialised variations with a view to acquire the required vitamins from vegetation.
Rodents have enamel that constantly develop (and subsequently by no means put on down); cattle and plenty of different hooved animals have multi-chambered stomachs and regurgitate their meals as cud for additional chewing with a view to get enough vitamin from their powerful, low-energy meals.
Herbivores which are prey animals have traits corresponding to acute senses for detecting predators, and pace and agility for escaping from predators.
You’ll be able to see examples of herbivores on this web page: Examples of Herbivores
What Do Animals Eat – Omnivores
Omnivores are animals whose eating regimen consists of each animal and plant materials. Omnivores embody each animals whose ancestors have been carnivores, and animals whose ancestors have been herbivores.
Omnivores are normally much less specialised than both herbivores or carnivores. For instance, omnivorous mammals corresponding to most bears lack the multi-chambered stomachs of hooved mammals. Omnivorous birds, corresponding to crows, lack the talons of birds of prey.
You’ll be able to see examples of omnivores on this web page: Examples of Omnivores
Specialist Animal Diets
Specialist Carnivores
Avivore
An avivore is a carnivore that makes a speciality of consuming birds. Examples of avivores embody a number of birds of prey, together with the sparrowhawk – a mid-sized hawk named for its bird-eating conduct, and the peregrine falcon – the world’s quickest animal.
Corallivore
A corallivore is an animal that eats coral. Corals are mollusks whose stays accumulate to type coral reefs. Examples of corallivores embody species from a number of animal teams, together with the crown-of-thorns sea starfish, and several other species of butterflyfish and parrotfish.
Sanguivore
A sanguivore is an animal that feeds on blood. The most effective-known examples of sanguivores are the three species of vampire bat. The conduct of feeding on blood is named hematophagy.
Insectivore
An insectivore is an animal that preys on bugs. Examples of insectivores embody birds corresponding to flycatchers and bee-eaters, amphibians corresponding to tree frogs, and mammals such because the aardvark.
Myrmecophagy
A myrmecophage is sort of insectivore that eats ants and termites. Examples of myrmecophages embody the aardwolf, aardvark, the 4 species or anteater, the short-beaked echidna and pangolins.
Molluscivore
A molluscivore is an animal that eats mollusks. Examples of molluscivores embody the walrus, which eats clams and different bivalves, the oystercatcher, a chicken whose identify displays its dietary habits, and the rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea), a predatory snail that preys on different snails and slugs.
You’ll be able to see examples of mollusks on this web page: Mollusks Examples
Ophiophagy
Ophiophagy is the consuming of snakes. Animals that exhibit ophiophagy embody mongooses (a household (Herpestidae) of weasel-like mammals discovered within the Previous World which are immune to snake venom), snake eagles (birds of prey belonging to the household Circaetinae), and the secretarybird (a long-legged chicken of prey present in Africa).
Piscivore
A piscivore is an animal that eats fish. Examples of piscivores embody birds such because the osprey, Blakiston’s fish owl (the world’s largest owl), gannets and mergansers; and mammals such because the fishing cat, Eurasian otter, big otter and bottlenose dolphin.
Spongivore
A spongivore is an animal that eats sponges. Examples of spongivores embody the hawksbill sea turtle, and spongeflies which, of their larval type, eat sponges.
Vermivore
A vermivore is an animal that eats worms. Examples of vermivores embody shrews (small, rodent-like animals), moles and long-beaked echidnas.
Specialist Herbivores
Exudativore
An exudativore is an animal that feeds on plant exudates (fluids emitted from vegetation), which embody sap, gum, latex and resin. Examples of animals which are exudativores embody sapsuckers (a gaggle of North American woodpeckers), and aphids, a gaggle of bugs that features bugs generally known as greenflies and blackflies.
Folivore
A folivore is an animal that eats leaves. Examples of folivores embody the hoatzin, a chicken discovered within the rainforests of South America, and the koala, an Australian marsupial that feeds virtually completely on eucalyptus leaves.
Frugivore
A frugivore is an animal that eats fruit. Examples of frugivores embody orangutans, the coconut crab, toucans, hornbills, and megabats such because the Indian Flying fox.
Granivore
A granivore is an animal that feeds on seeds. Examples of granivores embody finches (birds of household Fringillidae, which incorporates species such because the bullfinch and crimson crossbill), and the wooden mouse, a small rodent present in Europe and North Africa.
Nectarivore
A nectarivore is an animal that feeds on nectar – a candy fluid produced by flowers as an incentive for pollinators to go to. Examples of nectarivores embody birds corresponding to hummingbirds and sunbirds (each of which have lengthy payments for gathering nectar); and bats such because the long-tongued nectar bat.
Xylophagy
A xylophage is an animal that feeds on wooden. Examples of xylophagous animals embody bark beetles; woodboring beetles such because the widespread furnishings beetle and deathwatch beetle; drywood termites, and beavers.
Fungivore
A fungivore is an animal that feeds on fungi. Examples of fungivores embody leafcutter ants, which develop fungi of their nests for meals. Ambrosia beetles additionally create “fungus gardens” on which they feed.
Bacterivore
A bacterivore is an animal that feeds on micro organism. Examples of bacterivores embody nematodes and unicellular amoebae.
Different Animal Diets
Detritivore
A detritivore is an animal that feeds on detritus (non-living natural matter). Examples of detritivores embody earthworms and millipedes.
Coprophagy
Coprophagy is the consuming of feces. Coprophagous animals embody bugs such because the yellow dung fly and dung beetles; and hares, which devour their very own droppings with a view to acquire undigested vitamins.