Primary consumers from diverse habitats
Butterfly
Except in the Arctic, butterflies are found in all environments. A proboscis restricts them to liquid diets. They eat floral nectar. Desert butterflies devour cactus nectar.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers eat leaves, flowers, stalks, grass, and seeds. These principal consumers live in grasslands. Mice, spiders, birds, and lizards eat them.
White-tailed deer
White-tailed deer feed primarily on prairie grass. They reside in northern Maine and Florida's hammock wetlands. Lions, wolves, jaguars, and coyotes consume white-tailed deer.
Squirrels
Tree squirrels live in trees and dig tunnels. Seeds, nuts, tree buds, fruits, and blossoms. Cats, lions, badgers, snakes, jackrabbits, and coyotes eat squirrels.
Zebras
Zebras eat grass , leaves and stems from shrubs. They have strong front teeth to clip grass and graze all day. They live in savannas and must avoid lions and cheetahs.
Banana slug
Banana slugs decompose dead organisms. Moss, mushroom spores, leaves, plants, and animal faeces are their diet. Their nutrient-rich excrement fertilises the soil.
Caribou
Caribou eat flowers, willow leaves, mushrooms, small shrubs, and lichens in tundra settings. Wolves prey on them. In the spring, bears and golden eagles hunt young calves.
Beavers
Beavers live in lakes, rivers, and ponds. Watertight dams are made from branches, reeds, mud, and saplings. Beavers eat twigs, bark, and roots.
Aphids
Aphids eat sap. They eat plant stems, leaves, and roots. Sap has more sugar than protein, therefore animals must drink a lot to receive enough nutrients.