ANIMALS EAT

A Panda eating Bamboo Leaves.

All plants and all animals need food. Most plants make their own food from light, water, and substances in the ground and air. But animals cannot make their own food. They must eat plants or other animals to live.

   Different kinds of animals eat in different kinds of ways. A chameleon flips out its sticky tongue and catches insects. A lammergeier, a type of vulture, uses its sharp claws and hooked beak to tear its food.

   A butterfly has a part of its mouth like a built-in straw. It's called a proboscis. The butterfly keeps its proboscis rolled up until it gets hungry. Then it unrolls its proboscis, puts it into a flower, and sucks up sweet nectar.

   A ground squirrel has strong teeth for cracking nuts and seeds. It carries food home in its cheeks and "squirrels" it away.

  A baleen whale fills its mouth with seawater. The water is full of tiny plants and animals. The whale lets the water run out of its mouth. Then it swallows the plants and animals that remain.

KNOW IT ALL?
What's for dinner? Animals can be grouped by what they eat. Some animals eat only plants. They are called herbivores. Herbivores include cattle, sheep, and squirrels. Animals that eat only other animals are called carnivores. Carnivores include lions, foxes, and snakes. Animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Omnivores include bears, raccoons, pigs, and human beings. What do you think animals that eat only insects are called? Right! Insectivores. Anteaters and hedgehogs are insectivores.