A living thing cannot live alone. It depends on the other living things to supply the materials it needs to survive. We have seen how animals rely on plants for their food. Animals that only eat plants are called ‘herbivores’. Animals that eat other animals are called ‘carnivores’. A series of living things that feed on each other make up a “food chain”. If one of the members of the chain is removed all the others may be affected.
Often, several food chains interlink as many animals feed on a variety of plants or animals. The chains together make a ‘food web’.
A food chain
The insects in this food chain feed on the leaves of plants. Some of these insects are eaten by frogs. Frogs, in turn, are eaten by snakes. Hawks are the final carnivores in this chain. When the hawks and other members of the chain die their bodies decay and are returned to the soil. The nutrients in the soil help new plants to grow.
Kingfishers eat a variety of fish, but they are also eaten themselves by larger birds and small mammals.
These impala herbivores are in danger of being caught and eaten by the lioness, a carnivore.