Want to Know it? Answers to life's questions » what do animals eat

What do Octopuses Eat

Want to know it — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:31:26 +0000

The Octopus is a marine mollusk, with 8 tentacles and a large head. They have two eyes and a small beak like mouth at the center point of their arms. Octopuses do not have a skeleton and are able to squeeze into small, tight spaces to hide from predators or to capture prey. They are a highly intelligent species and are able to adapt and change with the environment. There are over 300 species of octopus and they inhabit different aquatic environments from shallow rock pools to the ocean depths.

What do octopuses eat?
Octopuses have a varied diet depending on the environment in which they live. All octopuses have a hard, beak like mouth which is perfect for devouring their prey. They inject the prey with paralyzing saliva and then pull in apart using their sharp beak. Octopuses which are bottom dwellers eat mainly crabs and other mollusks such as whelks (type of seas snail) clams and lobsters. They will also eat sea worms (polychaete worms). Free swimming octopuses eat shrimp, fish and other octopuses. Baby octopuses will eat small marine creatures such as plankton and krill. When eating mollusks the octopus will either pry open the shell using its tentacles or drill a hole into the top of the shell with their beak and inject the soft mollusk with venom before sucking it out.

What do octopuses eat in captivity?
Octopuses are rarely kept in captivity by pet owners as they require specialized care. When kept in large aquariums, octopuses are fed diets as close as possible to that which they have in the wild. Shelled cockles, crabs, shrimp and other mollusks are given to the octopuses to eat. An octopus may attempt to eat any other marine creature that is placed into the same tank.

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What do Trout Eat

Want to know it — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:04:22 +0000

The name trout is used to describe a number of different species of freshwater fish that belong to the same family as the salmon. The general difference is that trout spend most of their life in freshwater and salmon in saltwater, but this is not true for all species. Many species of trout are a popular food fish and a sought after angling target. It is for these reasons that they are commonly farmed and many species have been introduced into countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, where they are not native fish. Let’s take a look at the common diet of a trout.

What do trout eat?
Trout are well known for their habit of feeding on aquatic invertebrates such as flies, dragonflies, stoneflies, caddisflies and mayflies. It is this feeding behavior that fly fishing anglers attempt to stimulate through the use of artificial flies. Trout will also eat other insects, worms, mollusks and shrimp. However, the largest portion of their diet is made up of other fish and any trout larger than 30 cm (12 in.) will feed almost exclusively on other fish when available. Trout are able to eat other fish that are up to a third of their length. When they live in large lakes trout will also eat various species of zooplankton.

What do farmed trout eat?
Trout farming is a multimillion dollar industry. The farmed fish are bred on site and raised in tanks until they reach the correct size for market. Farmed trout are most commonly fed pellet fish food that is designed to meet all of their nutritional needs and help them grow quickly. This pellet food is usually high in protein and fat.

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What Do Grasshoppers Eat

Want to know it — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:24:23 +0000

Grasshoppers are insects that are distantly related to crickets and katydids, for which they are often confused. They are known for their powerful hind legs that allow them to make a powerful leap and many species of grasshoppers have wings for flying. There are about 8,000 different species of grasshoppers, but it is believed that they are many still yet to be formally identified. A species of grasshopper that can change color and swarms to travel many miles is known as a locust. If you have ever wondered what these insects eat, keep reading to find out.

What do grasshoppers eat?
Grasshoppers are herbivores and prefer to eat grasses, leaves and cereal crops (such as maize and wheat). Some species will also eat bark, flowers, fruit and seeds. They will eat many different sources of plant matter and often feed on different food throughout a single day. However, at least one species of grasshopper will only feed on a single species of plant!

Did you know?
A plague of grasshoppers or locusts can cause problems for farmers because they can decimate a crop in a short period of time. Locusts are generally considered to be more destructive to crops, because they form a large swarm and can travel a great distance in a single day.

Locusts and grasshoppers can both be eaten by humans. In some cultures they are even considered to be a delicacy!

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What Do Praying Mantises Eat

Want to know it — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:28:48 +0000

The mantises are an group of insects made up of about 2,200 species. Although they are often confused for stick insects, grasshoppers and crickets, they are actually more closely related to termites and cockroaches. They are usually known as praying mantises because they adopt a prayer like stance. They are found virtually worldwide in tropical and temperate environments. If you have ever wondered what these insects eat, keep reading to find out.

What does a praying mantis eat?
All species of praying mantis are carnivores (meat eaters) and unlike most insects they are exclusively predators. This means that they only catch and kill live prey, rather than scavenging their food. Most species are ambush predators and wait for their prey to come close enough to catch, but there are a few species that will actively hunt prey. The praying mantis catches and holds their prey with their forearms, which contain tiny spikes to help them grip their prey. The most common foods eaten by mantises are other insects, but some of the larger species are known to eat frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, fish and rodents. They are also known to be cannibalistic, which means that they eat other mantises. This usually occurs around the time when they mate.

Did you know?
Because mantises eat other insects, but do not eat plant matter, they are sometimes used as a live form of pest control in organic gardening!

In the United States many people believe that it is illegal to kill a praying mantis and those who do could be fined. However, this is simply a myth and has never been true.

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What do Flamingos Eat

Want to know it — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:19:10 +0000

Flamingos are commonly recognized by their habit of standing on one leg and their amazing pink plumage. They are a tall, wading water bird that can found in Europe, Asia and Africa. There are six species of flamingo, four of which live in the Americas. The flamingo stands anywhere from 36 to 50 inches tall and along with the distinctive pink coloring also have a curved neck and downward curving black tipped bill. The flamingos bill shape allows them to feed efficiently. So, what do these beautiful birds eat? Read this article to find out.

What do flamingos eat?
Flamingos can be found in warm, watery environments such as estuaries and lakes. They hunt their food along the mud flats that are common in these areas. Flamingos have a diet that consists of small marine organisms such as brine shrimp, tiny fish, fly larvae and plankton. Flamingos also eat considerable quantities of blue-green algae. The bird uses it webbed feet and long legs to stir up the water in shallow areas of lakes and rivers. They then bury their bills and heads under the water and suck up the mixture of mud and water. The structure of the flamingos bill is made to filters out the marine creatures and algae while releasing the water back into the environment. Inside the bill of the flamingos are hairy structures called lamellae which line the top and bottom jaw. These filter the mud and water from the food as the flamingo turns its head upside down. Flamingos often feed in large colonies of more than a thousand birds and this helps to protect them when they are feeding.

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What do Muskrats Eat

Want to know it — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:39:33 +0000

Muskrats are large semi aquatic rodents that have many similar characteristics to rats. However, they are not members of the “true rat” family and are actually more closely related to voles and lemmings. Muskrats are usually 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) long with a tail of about the same length. They usually weigh between 0.7 to 2 kg (1.5 to 4.4 lbs), which makes them about 4 times larger than the common brown rat. They are native to North America, but have been introduced into much of Europe and parts of northern Asia. If you have ever wondered what these large rodents eat, keep reading to find out.

What do muskrats eat?
Muskrats are considered to be omnivores (plant and animal eaters), although more than 90% of their diet is made up of plant matter, such as cattails and other aquatic vegetation. The remaining portion of their diet is made up of small animals such as fish, frogs, crayfish, turtles and mussels. It was once thought that muskrats may steal stored food from beavers in winter, but recent studies suggest they may actually form a partnership with the beavers.

The following video shows this relationship between the muskrats and beavers:

Did you know?
Throughout history muskrats have been used for their fur and their meat. Catholics are permitted to eat muskrat during times when eating meat is prohibited because it lives in water!

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What Do Lemurs Eat

Want to know it — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:14:41 +0000

Lemurs are a group of primates only found on the island of Madagascar. There are about 100 species of lemurs, which range from a 30g (1.1 oz) through to 9kg (20 lbs). Many of these species are considered to be endangered due to hunting and habitat loss. Fortunately, the lemur’s food sources of food remain widely available on the island. Let’s take a closer look at the diet of the lemur.

What do lemurs eat?
The diet of the lemur varies somewhat between the different species. Generally speaking, the smallest species are omnivores and eat fruit and insects. The larger species are mostly herbivores and eat plant matter. Most species have a few preferred foods, but the lemur will resort to eating any edible matter if these are not available. Lemurs are known to eat more than half of the plants on the island but they rarely eat ferns and mangroves, which are some the most abundant plants on the island.

Did you know?
Some of the more unusual food sources of lemurs includes; flowers, bark, tree sap, nectar, pollen, seeds, insect secretions, small vertebrates, and even soil.

The golden bamboo lemur is a species of lemur that eats giant bamboo even though it contains high levels of the poison cyanide. This species has adapted so that it consume 12 times the usual lethal dose of this poison.

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What Do Raccoons Eat

Want to know it — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:17:42 +0000

Raccoons are medium-sized mammals with distinctive facial markings that have the appearance of a bandits mask. They are native to Central and North America, but have also been deliberately or accidentally introduced into parts of Europe, the Middle East and Japan. They can reach 70 cm (28 in.) in length and 9kg (20 lbs) in weight. If you want to know the common diet of the raccoon, keep reading to find out.

What do raccoons eat?
Raccoons are omnivorous (eat both plants and animals) and will eat a variety of different foods. The breakdown of a common raccoon diet is approximately 27% vertebrates, 33% plant foods and 40% invertebrates. They will eat insects, worms and other small animals in the spring and summer. They will occasionally eat larger prey, such as large frogs and fish, when other food cannot be found. Raccoons are also known to eat birds eggs and new hatchlings because they are easy to catch. Raccoons quickly develop favorite foods during times when the food is plentiful. Their favorite foods seems to be fruits and nuts, which they eat during late summer and autumn to build up fat for the winter months.

Did you know?
In captivity raccoons develop an interesting habit where they “wash” their food in water before eating it. This behavior has never been seen in the wild!

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What do Scorpions Eat

Want to know it — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:45:12 +0000

Scorpions are arthropods (invertebrate with an external skeleton) with 8 legs and are best known for their grasping claws and long tail with a venomous stinger. There are over 1,700 species of scorpions and at least one species can be found on every continent of Earth, apart from Antarctica. The scorpion is often feared by humans because they are venomous, but in reality only about 25 species have venom capable of causing death. Let’s take a look at the common diet of this interesting animal.

What do scorpions eat?
Scorpions are predators that feed opportunistically, which means their diet is based on the food sources available to them. Most species of scorpions eat insects and other small arthropods. Larger species of scorpions have been known to eat small lizards, rodents and birds. There are some species of scorpions that will eat other smaller scorpions!

Did you know?
Scorpions have sensitive hairs on their gripping claws which alerts them to close them to catch their prey. They will then inject it with venom to paralyze it or crush the prey so they can eat it.

Interestingly, scorpions can only eat liquid food. They have an intricate system of external digestion, including a pre-oral cavity where digestive juices are discharged onto the food to turn it into liquid. Any food that can’t be turned into liquid is trapped and then ejected.

Some scorpions can survive up to a year without food. One of the reasons they can do this is that they are capable of eating a large amount in one meal.

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What Do Vultures Eat

Want to know it — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:34:23 +0000

Vultures are large scavenging birds that are broadly categorized into Old and New World Vultures. New World Vultures are found in North and South America and Old World Vultures are found in Europe, Asia and Africa. The two groups of vultures are not closely related and both belong to separate families of birds. However, they do have many of the same traits including a similar diet.

What do vultures eat?
Vultures are primarily scavenging birds, which means that they mostly feed on dead animal carcasses. New World Vultures are able to find a carcass with the help of their impressive sense of smell, but Old World Vultures use only their sight. They will rarely attack a healthy living animal, but may kill a sick or wounded animal if another food source cannot be found. If a carcass has a thick hide they will wait for another animal to eat it first and then move in to pick at the remains. Scavengers, such as vultures, play a very important part in the ecosystem as they help to remove decaying matter. Vultures have extremely strong and corrosive stomach acid, which allows them to eat rotting carcasses that are infected with dangerous bacteria. This means that vultures can safely eat a carcasses that most other animals cannot eat.

Did you know?
All of the species from the New World Vultures group can vomit their stomach acid as a defense when threatened. They also urinate down their legs which kills the bacteria that is picked up after standing on or near a carcass.

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