What kinds of food do animals eat?

All animals get the nutrients they need by eating plants, animals, or other organisms such as bacteria or fungi. Some of these foods are easy to find but hard to digest, like leaves and grass. Others, such as animal prey, can be difficult to find or catch, but are easy to digest and rich in food value. Animals have developed a variety of adaptations for gathering and digesting their food. Some of these are much more specialized than others, and govern the animal’s whole way of life.

  1. BASKING SHARK The enormous basking shark has tiny teeth. It feeds by swimming through swarms of tiny drifting organisms with its mouth gaping open, and trapping them in its sieve-like gills. Many whales filter feed in a similar way, as do some birds, such as flamingos.
  2. GIRAFFE A giraffe’s extra-long neck allows it to eat leaves that other animals cannot reach. Like many leaf-eaters and grass-eaters, giraffes have bacteria in their digestive system, which break down the tough plant fibre to release vital nutrients.
  3. LEECH A parasitic leech clings to living animal, slices into its skin, and sucks its blood. Some leeches may take up to five times their own weight in blood, but only need to feed once or twice a year.
  4. PARROT Birds need concentrated food that does not weigh them down, so most birds feed on insects, meat, fruit, or seeds. Many parrots eat nuts, cracking the strong shells with their powerful hooked bills, but some have brush-tipped tongues to lap up sugary flower nectar.
  5. LION Catching large live animals can be difficult and dangerous. A lion relies on its strength and long, sharp canine teeth to kill its prey. It slices the meat into mouthfuls with scissor-like cheek teeth, but swallows it without chewing because meat is easy to digest.
  6. GIANT ANTEATER Many animals eat insects, but few are so specialized for the job as the giant anteater. It has a long, sticky, worm-like tongue, which it flicks in and out of its long snout up to 150 times a minute to scoop its tiny prey from their nest.
  7. TAPEWORM This parasite lives in the intestines of another animal — including some people. Since it is surrounded by pre-digested food it does not need a digestive system of its own, or even a mouth, and it just soaks up nutrients through its thin skin.
  8. EGYPTIAN VULTURE Many creatures are scavengers that feed on carrion (dead flesh) and other scraps. They include the Egyptian vulture, which clears up remains that would otherwise simply rot. Without scavengers, the world would be a lot less healthy.
  9. HOUSEFLY Many insects, including all flies, can eat only liquid food. Some suck blood, or gather nectar or plant juices. The housefly can also liquefy some solid foods such as sugar by drenching them with saliva and soaking up the result with its mop-like mouthparts.
  10. BROWN BEAR Although basically a meat-eater, the brown bear devours many foods ranging from meat and fish to fruit and honey. This means that it is not specialized for any particular way of feeding, and can change its food with the seasons. Humans have the same “omnivorous” (eat-all) diet.

Picture Credit : Google

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