Feeding habits

Feeding habits describe the dominant diet of a particular species or group of species, and how they go about obtaining it.

Carnivorous

Carnivores are animals whose main method of getting food is to kill and eat other animals, or to scavenge their dead flesh. Typically, the word brings to mind the large predators at the top of the food chain – lions, wolves and the like – but insectivores (insect eaters) and piscivores (fish eaters) are equally carnivorous. The group of mammals, Carnivora, are so called because so many of the species in it (felines, canines, etc) are defined by their carnivorous diet. Some plants are also carnivorous.

Survival strategy

Survival strategies enable organisms to cope with particular stresses, from temporary environmental changes in the weather to the constant threat of predation. So, for instance, to avoid the cold of winter animals may migrate away or hibernate, while trees may shed their leaves. To avoid predation, plants may be poisonous or covered with defensive spikes and animals may use camouflage or travel in great numbers.

Predation defence

Predation defence comes in many forms: physiological, anatomical and behavioural. Physical defences such as spines and armour are obvious adaptations, but other defences can be more subtle and surprising. Whether it’s avoiding detection through camouflage and mimicry, chemical defence through being poisonous or exuding irritants, it’s all about one thing: avoiding being eaten. Some animals rely on increasing their chances of detecting predators by living in groups and using alarm calls to warn each other of danger.

Predation strategy

Predation is catching and killing an animal in order to eat it and different species have evolved a range of strategies for doing this efficiently. The most frequently used methods are variations on chasing and capturing if the predator is a fast runner, ambushing to conserve energy, or using a trapping mechanism such as a spider’s web.

Ambush predator

Ambushing prey is a tactic employed by a whole host of animals, from trapdoor spiders lurking in their burrows, to a cat stalking a mouse. If ambushers chase their prey at all, they do so for only a short time, as most of them are not capable of a prolonged pursuit. Instead they use cover so they can surprise unsuspecting prey.

Pack-hunter

Pack-hunting is a type of predation where several members of a species combine their efforts to increase their chance of success in the hunt. Well known pack-hunters are lions, wolves and army ants. Some pack hunters have tactics based on sophisticated teamwork, with each animal playing a specific role. Other pack-huntes are less organised, relying on weight of numbers to overwhelm prey rather than on a planned strategy.

Predator

Predators are creatures that catch and kill other animals for food. All sorts of techniques are employed by different animals to maximise their chance of catching prey, and to balance the energy expended in catching prey with the energy gained in eating it. Some execute long chases, outrunning their prey, others ambush or hunt in groups. Some construct elaborate traps and many have mechanisms for stunning or poisoning their victims.

Trapping predator

Trapping predators perform a particular type of ambush that involves constructing something to help them catch their prey before they pounce on it. For example, spiders construct webs and fungus gnats dangle a lure of sticky silk to ensnare other organisms.

Venomous

Venomous organisms inflict poisonous wounds by actively biting, stinging or scratching their victims and injecting toxins into them. This distinguishes them from poisonous species which usually contain or secrete toxins and need to touched or eaten to contaminate their victims. Envenomation can be a predatory tactic or a defence mechanism. It can be costly to produce and to inject toxins, so often organisms will use as little venom as possible in an attack.