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A robber fly eating a hoverfly The giant anteater, a large insectivorous mammal. An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. [1] An alternative term is entomophage, [2] which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were amphibians.
An upper pitcher of Nepenthes lowii, a tropical pitcher plant that supplements its carnivorous diet with tree shrew droppings. [1] [2] [3]Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds.
Entomophagy is widespread among many animals, including non-human primates. [3] Animals that feed primarily on insects are called insectivores . Insects, [ 4 ] nematodes [ 5 ] and fungi [ 6 ] that obtain their nutrition from insects are sometimes termed entomophagous , especially in the context of biological control applications.
Herbivory is of extreme ecological importance and prevalence among insects.Perhaps one third (or 500,000) of all described species are herbivores. [4] Herbivorous insects are by far the most important animal pollinators, and constitute significant prey items for predatory animals, as well as acting as major parasites and predators of plants; parasitic species often induce the formation of galls.
European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). The order Insectivora (from Latin insectum "insect" and vorare "to eat") is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals.
The eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of certain insects have been eaten by humans from prehistoric times to the present day. [4] Around 3,000 ethnic groups practice entomophagy. [5] Human insect-eating is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Eighty percent ...
Humans regard many insects as pests, especially those that damage crops, and attempt to control them using insecticides and other techniques. Others are parasitic, and may act as vectors of diseases. Insect pollinators are essential to the reproduction of many flowering plants and so to their ecosystems. Many insects are ecologically beneficial ...
Waxworms are a commonly used food for many insectivorous animals and plants in captivity. These larvae are grown extensively for use as food for humans, as well as live food for terrarium pets and some pet birds, mostly due to their high fat content, their ease of breeding, and their ability to survive for weeks at low temperatures.