3. Types of Eaters
Some animals eat only plants, making them herbivores. Often, herbivores concentrate their munching on just the fruits or seeds of plants, ignoring stems, leaves, and roots. Herbivores usually have big front teeth, called incisors. These teeth are used to grasp and cut plants. Herbivores might also have molars in the back, which they use to grind up the plants in their mouths.
Can you name any Herbivores?
Animals that eat both animals and plants are called omnivores. This type of animal has the advantage of a wide selection of food to satisfy their hunger and dietary needs. Because omnivores eat almost any type of food, they have many different types of teeth. These animals have incisors in the front for cutting. They also have canines, which help them tear up meat. Omnivores have molars in the back of their mouths to grind up their food
Can you name any Omnivores?
A mammal that eats only the meat from other animals is a carnivore. In the wild, a carnivore will hunt other animals for food. Because carnivores need to cut and tear up their food, they have big canine teeth and sharp molars.
Can you name any Carnivores?
Can you name a Carnivore that doesn’t have canine teeth?
Food chains show how energy from the sun is used by animals in a chain from plants through to animals and even humans.
All food chains start with a producer which is always a green plant that converts the suns energy into food.
Animals then eat the producer and are called consumers.
Sometimes animals eat other animals. These are called predators.
In the example in the picture above:
Grass is the producer which is first eaten by grasshoppers which are a consumer. The grasshoppers are eaten by birds which are also consumers and predators. Birds are eaten by foxes at the top of this food chain.
Can you make some more food chains from this picture?
[Remember to start from the plant (producer)]