Predation
Predation
Predation (/prɪˈdeɪʃən/) is a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often leads to the death of the prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption.
Etymology
The term predation derives from the Latin word praedatio meaning "plundering" or "taking booty". It was first used in English in the 15th century to refer to human predation, and in the biological sense, it was first used by the English zoologist Ray Lankester in 1870.
Related Terms
- Carnivore: An organism that primarily eats other animals.
- Herbivore: An organism that eats primarily plants.
- Omnivore: An organism that eats both plants and animals.
- Parasitism: A non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.
- Scavenger: An organism that consumes dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Predation
- Wikipedia's article - Predation
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