Insectivores are animals that primarily feed on insects. Consequently, they are also called entomophagous (from éntomon, meaning insect, and phagein, meaning eating) animals.[1]
The most common insects these animals usually prey upon are ants, termites, beetles, crickets, moths, flies, aphids, and mosquitoes. However, many insectivores are not strictly restricted to an insect-based diet and often feed on other invertebrates or plant matter when necessary.
Most mammalian insectivores have small eyes, a long snout, and sensitive ears, and they primarily rely on their senses of hearing and smell rather than vision. Moreover, burrowing insectivores, such as moles, possess strong forelimbs equipped with powerful claws, which help them dig through the soil easily.[2]
Due to their dietary preference, insectivorous mammals have sharp, needle-like incisors, canines, and premolars, which easily pierce the hard insect exoskeletons.[3] Their molars, too, are sharp-edged with W-shaped or V-shaped cusps that help break through the prey.
In insectivorous primates, the lower incisors and canines tilt forward to form a comb-like structure (dental comb), which helps pick up small insects.
Given below is a comprehensive list of common insectivorous groups, along with their examples, which represent the striking diversity of these animals.
| Animal Group | Subgroup | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Chordates | Mammals | Monotremes: Echidnas Marsupials: Numbats*, bandicoots, sugar gliders Placental Mammals: Shrews, moles, tenrecs, hedgehogs, anteaters*, aardwolves*, aardvarks, armadillos, pangolins, meerkats, moonrats, most bats, primates (marmosets, some tamarins, tarsiers, galagos & aye-aye) |
| Birds | Swallows, martins, warblers, wrens, woodpeckers, nightjars, nightingales, robins, thrushes, flycatchers, bee-eaters, swifts | |
| Reptiles | Lizards (geckos, skinks, & chameleons), snakes (Brahminy blind snake & rough green snake), tuataras | |
| Amphibians | Frogs, toads, salamanders, caecilians | |
| Fish | Mosquitofish, hatchetfish | |
| Arthropods | Arachnids | Spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders |
| Insects | Dragonflies, hornets, ladybugs, robber flies, praying mantises, lacewings, ground beetles, assassin bugs* | |
| Myriapods | Some centipedes | |
| Molluscs | Gastropods | Very few aquatic & terrestrial snails |
| Annelids | Clitellates | Some predatory earthworms |
*Specialize in insects
The consumption of insects is not restricted to animals only. Some plants, such as the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, bladderworts, butterworts, and sundews, trap ants, flies, grasshoppers, and crickets to supplement their diet.[4] What is more surprising is that some bird-like dinosaurs, such as oviraptorosaurs and troodontids, were likely insectivores, having beaks and sharp teeth, just like present-day birds.[5]
Since these animals keep insect populations in check, they maintain the ecological balance of the ecosystem in which they reside. By preying on insects that serve as vectors, they also prevent the spread of diseases.
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