Feeding 245407 225294340 2008-07-12T22:56:44Z Anxietycello 7181612 /* Classification */ add more links {{unreferenced|date=October 2007}} '''Feeding''' is the process by which organisms, typically [[animal]]s, obtain [[food]]. Terminology often uses either the [[suffix]] ''-vore'' from Latin ''vorare'', meaning 'to devour', or ''phagy'', from Greek ''φαγειν'', meaning 'to eat'. [[wikt:Polyphagy|Polyphagy]] is the ability of an animal to eat a variety of food, whereas monophagy is the intolerance of every food except of one specific type (see [[generalist and specialist species]]). [[Image:Anopheles stephensi.jpeg|right|thumb|[[Mosquito]] drinking blood]] [[Image:Rosy boa eating.JPG|right|thumb|[[Rosy boa]] eating a mouse whole]] [[Image:Kangur.rudy.drs.jpg|right|thumb|[[Red Kangaroo]] eating grass]] [[Image:Robin eating a worm in spring.jpg|right|thumb|[[Robin]] eating a worm]] [[Image:Colibri-thalassinus-001-edit.jpg|right|thumb|[[Hummingbird]] drinking nectar]] [[Image:Filterkrillkils2.gif|right|thumb|[[Krill]] filter feeding]] ==Classification== ===By mode of ingestion=== There are many modes of feeding that animals exhibit, including: *[[filter feeder|filter feeding]] - obtaining nutrients from particles suspended in water *[[deposit feeder|deposit feeding]] - obtaining nutrients from particles suspended in soil *[[fluid feeder|fluid feeding]] - obtaining nutrients by consuming other organisms' fluids *[[bulk feeder|bulk feeding]] - obtaining nutrients by eating part or all of an organism ===By mode of digestion=== *[[Phagocytosis]] - engulfing food matter into living cells, where it is digested *[[Extra-cellular digestion]] - excreting digesting enzymes and then reabsorbing the products ===By food type=== Another classification refers to the specific food animals specialize in eating, such as: * [[Carnivore]] - the eating of animals ** [[Hematophagy]] - eating blood ** [[Insectivore]] - eating insects ** [[Lepidophagy]] - eating fish scales ** [[Man-eater]] - eating humans ** [[Molluscivore]] - eating molluscs ** [[Mucophagy]] - eating mucus ** [[Ophiophagy]] - eating snakes ** [[Piscivore]] - eating fish ** [[Spongivore]] - eating sponges * [[Herbivore]] - the eating of plants ** [[Folivore]] - eating leaves ** [[Frugivore]] - eating fruits ** [[Graminivore]] - eating grasses ** [[Granivore]] - eating seeds ** [[Nectarivore]] - eating nectar ** [[Palynivore]] - eating pollen ** [[Xylophagy]] - eating wood * [[Omnivore]] - the eating of both plants and animals * [[Fungivore]] - the eating of fungus * [[Bacterivore]] - the eating of bacteria The eating of non-living or decaying matter: * [[Coprophagy]] - eating faeces * [[Detritivore]] - eating decomposing material * [[Geophagy]] - eating inorganic earth * [[Scavenger]] - eating carrion There are also several unusual food sources which can give rise to [[opportunistic]] or desperate feeding behaviours, such as: * [[Cannibalism (zoology)|Cannibalism]] - feeding on members of the same species * [[Self-cannibalism]] - feeding on parts of one's own body (see also [[autophagy]]) * [[Sexual cannibalism]] - cannibalism after mating * [[Trophallaxis]] - eating food regurgitated by another animal * [[Oophagy]] - eating eggs * [[Ovophagy]] - eating embryos * [[Paedophagy]] - eating young animals * [[Placentophagy]] - eating placenta ==Evolutionary adaptations== In many instances, the specialization of organisms in a specific type of food source has been one of the major causes of [[evolution]] of form and function, such as: * [[mouth]] parts and [[tooth|teeth]], such as in [[whale]]s, [[vampire bat]]s, [[leech]]es, [[mosquito]]s, predatory animals such as [[felidae|feline]]s and [[fish]]es, etc * distinct forms of [[beak]]s in [[birds]], such as in [[hawk]]s, [[woodpecker]]s, [[pelican]]s, [[hummingbird]]s, [[parrot]]s, [[kingfisher]]s, etc. * specialized [[claw]]s and other appendages, for apprehending or killing (including fingers in [[primate]]s * changes in body colour for facilitating [[camouflage]], disguise, setting up traps for preys, etc. * changes in the [[digestive]] system, such as the system of [[stomach]]s of herbivores, [[commensalism]] and [[symbiosis]] [[Image:Birds beaks.jpg|center|framed|Many different forms of beaks in birds have evolved in function of feeding sources]] {{feeding}} [[Category:Ethology]] [[Category:Eating behaviors| ]] [[af:Voeding]] [[fr:régime alimentaire]] [[pt:Alimentação]]