Mode of animal's nutrition

Nutrition

Methods in animal nutrition

· All the animals need nutrition for their growth and development.

· All the essential nutrients like food, water, minerals and electrolyte are provided by digestive system of animals.

· The digestive track digests the food; absorb water, electrolyte through the lumen.

· Undigested matter from the food is moved out of the digested track.

There are various types of animals on the basis of mode of nutrition:-

Detrivorous animals

· The animals that get food from dead organic matter including plants and animals or debris are called Detrivorous animals.

· They ingest the bits of dead matter by secreting enzymes either on the soil surface or during burrowing activity.

· Example; earth worm


                                      

Herbivorous animals;

· The animals which get their food from plants are called herbivorous plants.

· The large grinding surface of molars and premolars enables the herbivorous animals to grind the food

· Between incisors and premolars there is a large gap.

· Example; rodents, ungulates, insects, reptiles, birds, mammals, horse, cattle and ship.

 

Carnivorous animals

· The animals which prey on other animals to get food and energy are called carnivorous animals.

· There are sharp canines for capturing and tearing the pray.

· They have well adapted molars, premolars and incisors for cracking the bones and reducing the chunks to suitable size for swallowing.

· Example; cats, dogs, lions and tiger.

                                  

Omnivorous animals;

· Those animals which eat both plants and animals are called omnivorous animals.

· They have 4 wisdom teeth, 8 molars, 8 premolars, 4 canines, 8 incisors.

· Example; crows, red fox, bears, pigs and man.

Fluid filters

· Those animals which ingest food in liquid form are called fluids filters.

· They pierce the skin with the help of needle like mouth parts and suck blood from the skin capillaries.

· Example; mosquito, aphids.

                                

Filter feeders

· The aquatic animals which digest the particles by filtering the water.

· They usually filter the water with the help of cilia present around their body.

· Example; mussel.

                                           

Macrophagous feeders

· Those animals that get food in the form of large pieces are called macrophagous feeders.

· Example; hydra, spotted dogfish