filter feeders
Strain-the-water diners
Filter feeders are animals that obtain food by straining particles from water.
Baleen whales gulp seawater and push it through bristly plates to trap krill.
Clams and mussels draw water through their bodies, capturing plankton and organic matter.
The strategy appears across diverse species—from tiny zooplankton to whale sharks—anywhere nutrient-rich water flows.
Porous absorbent masses
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
- clamsEdible burrowing mollusks
- baleen whalesBristle-mouthed marine mammals
whale shark · basking shark · flamingos · krill · barnacles · bivalves · sea squirts · lancelet
Whale's filtering bristles
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- detritusLoose waste from decay
- particulate matterFine airborne solid fragments
suspended particles · microorganisms · algae · bacteria · copepods · diatoms · larvae · organic matter
Condition of H2O supply
- biofiltrationPurification through living organisms
- clarificationMaking meaning plain
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
- habitat creationBuilding environments for wildlife
ecological balance · water purification · carbon sequestration · keystone species
Shellfish cultivation zones
- bioremediationLiving organisms detoxify pollutants
- maricultureCultivating ocean organisms commercially
- seed collectionAssembled plant propagules
- spatPetty verbal dispute
sponges
Porous absorbent masses
baleen whales · whale shark · basking shark · flamingos · krill · barnacles · bivalves · sea squirts · lancelet · paddlefish
baleen
Whale's filtering bristles
plankton
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- detritusLoose waste from decay
suspended particles · particulate matter · microorganisms · algae · bacteria · copepods · diatoms · larvae · organic matter · sediment
water quality
Condition of H2O supply
- biofiltrationPurification through living organisms
- clarificationMaking meaning plain
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
habitat creation · ecological balance · water purification · carbon sequestration · keystone species
oyster beds
Shellfish cultivation zones
- bioremediationLiving organisms detoxify pollutants
- maricultureCultivating ocean organisms commercially
- seed collectionAssembled plant propagules
spat · harvesting · depuration
- marine ecosystemsphytoplankton, oceans, zooplankton, marine life, krill
- aquaculturefish farming, fish farms, aquaculture, salmon farming, shrimp farming
- feeding typesherbivore, grazer, browser, plant-eater, scavengers
- filter feedersbaleen whale, whale shark, basking shark, manta ray, blue whale
- fluid feedersaphid, mosquitoes, leeches, aphids, butterflies
- freshwater clams
filter feedersambush predators
Creatures that attack unexpectedly
apex predators · stalkers · scavengers · grazers · deposit feeders
filter, feeding, filtered, filtering, feeders, filtration, unfiltered, filtrate, filterable