Insect-eating animals

Insect-eating animals include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Pangolins and anteaters specialise in certain kinds of insects. Hedgehogs, some birds and foxes eat insects alongside other foods.

Adaptations for catching insects

• Anteaters, pangolins, echidnas and aardvarks have adaptations for finding ants, termites or other insects.
• Swallows, some bats and dragonflies can capture insects in flight.
• Hoopoes, woodpeckers and aye-ayes find insects or larvae on the ground or in wood.
• Many ladybirds, scorpions and tarantulas also hunt insects.

Insects in animal diets

Insects are the main food of some animals. Others have mixed diets that change with age, season or food availability. Many birds use insects and larvae to feed their young.

Diets can differ even between close relatives. Some bats hunt insects, while others eat fruit or nectar. Lizards and owls also have diets that vary between species.

Aphids, ants and termites are insects. Spiders, earthworms and snails belong to other groups of invertebrates. Eating insects occurs in animals with both carnivorous and omnivorous diets.

Sources: Smithsonian — anteater diet · San Diego Zoo — pangolins · Bat Conservation International — bat diets · Australian Museum — platypus diet · San Diego Zoo — lizards · Natural History Museum — ladybirds and aphids