Explore the Outdoors!
Here is an overview of all the articles on the blog.
Some species, yes! Many ladybugs are carnivores that play an important role in the food web as secondary consumers, but it depends on the species of ladybug! Ladybugs are carnivores that mainly eat aphids, scales, mealy bugs, leafhoppers, mites and other small insects. However, a few species are omnivores as they will also eat nectar…
Blepharisma are common ciliates belonging to the kingdom of protists that live in fresh and salt water. They are heterotrophic, which means that they cannot produce their own food and must instead rely on other organisms for sustenance. The primary food source for Blepharisma is bacteria, although they will also consume algae and other microorganisms.…
Limpets are small marine creatures that live on the shores of oceans and feed on algae. They are a type of sea snail that has a conical shell. They are found in all the world’s oceans. Limpets attach themselves to rocks in the intertidal zone and graze on algae. Limpets are herbivores that graze on…
Crickets are omnivorous insects that feed on a variety of plant and animal material. In the wild, crickets are important for recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. Crickets mostly consume plants, including flowers, seeds, leaves, fruit, and grasses. While they mostly eat plant material, they also eat dead or injured insects, as well as larvae,…
Caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths. Most species of caterpillars are herbivores and feed on a wide variety of plants. Some caterpillars are primary consumers, while others are secondary or tertiary consumers. Unlike worms, caterpillars are generally not decomposers because caterpillars mostly eat living plants. However, the caterpillar of the leaf litter…
Moths are often thought of as pests that feast on clothes and carpets, but there is a lot more to these creatures than meets the eye. Moths are actually interesting animals with a complex diet that helps them survive in a wide range of environments. Moths as a group are actually omnivores, which mean they…
Dragonflies are carnivores that live near water and consume flies, midges, and mosquitoes. They are important predators in many ecosystems because they help to control the population of these insects. Dragonflies are carnivorous consumers that eat other animals. They are not herbivores, decomposers or scavengers, but rather they hunt and kill their prey. This makes…
Butterflies are nectarivores, which means that their diet consists of nectar from flowers. They are able to extract the nectar using their long proboscis (tongue). While feeding on the nectar, butterflies also collect pollen on their body, which they spread to other flowers as they move about. Butterflies are not decomposers, but their babies (their…
Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that are typically green or black. They have long antennae and two short tubes (cornicles) protruding from their backs. Aphids feed on plant juices, sugars, and nectar by piercing plant tissues with their needle-like mouthparts and sucking out the fluid. Aphids are not decomposers, but rather primary consumers as they…
The bonefish is a carnivore that feeds on smaller animals. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Their diet consists mainly of small fish, but they will also eat worms, molluscs, shrimp and tiny crabs. Bonefish are important predators in the food web and help to keep the populations of smaller…