Concept in Definition ABC

A living being is detritivore when its feeding is based on the consumption of debris, that is, organic material decomposing. These beings, also called saprophages or detritophages, make up a relevant part of ecosystems because they contribute to the decomposition and recycling of nutrients.

Among those that have this type of diet we find beetles, worms, crabs, flies, starfish or fungi. Therefore, this way of feeding occurs in both vertebrates and invertebrates.

In any case, detritivores fulfill an ecological role, since they contribute to destroying decomposed organic matter in different ecosystems. If we take as a reference the feeding of the beetle, it is based mainly on excrement of other animals, larvae of other insects or dead animals.

It should be noted that decomposing food is the result of a series of factors: the weather, oxygen, humidity levels or the presence of parasites in the food.

The feeding of detritivores should not be confused with that of scavengers

At first glance, scavengers or ghouls feed on detritus. However, they are not considered detritivores for a reason: the dead organic matter they feed on is in an initial state of decomposition.

Humans are not detritivores because decomposing food has harmful effects on our health

As a species we are omnivorous animals, since our diet is a combination of animal and plant substances. In this sense, we are not detritivores since our body is not used to ingesting decomposing substances. If we did, our health would suffer with some problem of stomach, diarrhea, nausea, or even death.

Living beings can be classified according to their diet

The so-called carnivorous animals are, logically, those that consume the meat of other animals, such as the lion, the hyena, the wolf, the panther or the shark.

Herbivores feed on plants, such as fruits, leaves or bark, as occurs with the rabbit, the iguana, the elephant, the cow or the giraffe.

Omnivores eat both plants, fungi and other animals and among them we can highlight humans, pig, ostrich, chimpanzee, seagull or raven.

Photos: Fotolia - Juan Pablo Fuentes S / Whitcomberd