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Omnivore

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

  • 142 Accesses

Synonyms

Consumer; Heterotroph; Scavenger

Definition

An omnivore is an organism with a dietary intake consisting of both plant- and animal-derived materials.

Introduction

An omnivore is defined as an animal that consumes both plant- and animal-derived foods, the prefix being derived from the Latin words omnis, meaning “all,” and vor, meaning “to devour.” Omnivores can obtain their dietary energy and nutrient requirements from a mixed diet of plant and animal origin and will occasionally include other sources of nourishment in their diet such as fungi, algae, and bacteria. Omnivory can be characterized as behavioral and/or physiological, based on the spatial and temporal availability of foodstuff, combined with an organism’s intrinsic ability to obtain energy and other nutrients from ingested material. Certain omnivorous species will demonstrate specific anatomical, physiological, and/or behavioral specializations and adaptations for the acquisition and processing of specific foodstuff.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Skinner’s Pet Foods, Stradbroke, UK

    Jacqueline Boyd

Authors
  1. Jacqueline Boyd
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Correspondence to Jacqueline Boyd .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Lauren Guillette

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Boyd, J. (2020). Omnivore. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_880-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_880-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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