FUEL FOR LIFE

Animals obtain their energy from organic matter or food. They break up food by digesting it, and then they absorb the substances that are released. These substances are carried into the animal’s cells, where they are combined with oxygen to release energy. This process – called cellular respiration – is like a highly controlled form of burning, with food acting as fuel. The majority of animals are either herbivores, which eat plants, or carnivores, which eat other animals. Carnivores include predators, which feed in or on the living bodies of other animals. There are also omnivores, which eat both animal and plant food, and scavengers, which feed on dead matter from decaying leaves and corpses to fur and even bones. All animals, regardless of lifestyle ultimately provide food for other animals. All are connected by food chain, which pass food – and its energy – from one species to another.