Feeding
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2008-07-12T22:56:44Z
Anxietycello
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{{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]]