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Insectivore
An '''insectivore''' is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures.
Although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers and make up a very large part of the animal biomass in almost all non-marine environments. In Queensland pastures, for example, it is normal to have a greater total weight of scarab beetle|Scarabaeidae larvae under the surface than of the beef cattle grazing above it.
A great many creatures depend on insects as their primary diet, and many that do not (and are thus not technically insectivores) nevertheless use insects as a protein supplement, particularly when they are breeding.
Some examples of insectivores include nightingale, aardwolf, echidna, hirundinidae|swallows, anteaters, carp, frogs, lizards, bats, and spiders. Insects also can be insectivores. Examples would be dragonfly|dragonflies, hornets, ladybugs, and praying mantises.
Carnivorous plant|Insectivorous plants also exist, including the Venus flytrap, several types of pitcher plants, butterworts, sundews, bladderworts, the waterwheel plant, brocchinia bromeliads, and others. These generally grow in nitrogen-poor soils, which they instead obtain by trapping insects. Technically these plants are not strictly insectivorous, as they consume any animal small enough to be trapped by them; indeed, the larger varieties of pitcher plant have been known to consume small rodents and lizards.
See also
- Entomophagy
- Insectivora
- -vore
Category:Carnivory
Category:Insect ecology
simple:Insectivore
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