insectivore

Everyday

1. An animal or plant that eats mainly insects. tree →
2. (science, older) A word once used for a group of small mammals like shrews, moles and hedgehogs. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on food chains and diets, animals are herbivores (eat plants), carnivores (eat meat), omnivores (eat both) and insectivores (eat insects). Examples: anteaters, bats, swallows, frogs, hedgehogs, Venus flytraps. Phrases: an insectivore, insectivorous plants.

Examples

• Bats are insectivores; one bat can eat hundreds of midges in a night. tree →
• The hedgehog is an insectivore that hunts beetles and worms. tree →
• A Venus flytrap is an insectivore plant. tree →
• Anteaters are insectivores with long sticky tongues. tree →
• Swallows are insectivores that catch flies in the air. tree →
• Is a frog an insectivore or a carnivore? Both words can fit. tree →

Note

Adjective «insectivorous». «-vore» means «eater»: herbivore, carnivore, omnivore. An insectivore is a kind of carnivore. Spiders and worms are not insects, but insectivores often eat them too.