Kleptoparasite
Imagine you have a delicious sandwich and you're about to take a big bite, but suddenly someone comes and steals a small piece of your sandwich without asking. That person is a kleptoparasite - a fancy word for an animal that steals food from other animals.
Just like how that person may have taken a small piece of your sandwich but won't eat the whole sandwich, kleptoparasites typically steal only a little bit of food from their victims. They do this because they don't want to waste their energy searching for food themselves.
Some examples of kleptoparasites in the animal kingdom include the cuckoo bird that lays its eggs in other bird's nests to avoid the effort of raising its own young, and certain types of fish that steal bait or prey from other fisherman.
But unlike human sandwich thieves who might end up with empty stomachs or angry friends, kleptoparasites have a survival strategy that allows them to thrive, even if it means taking a little food from others.
Just like how that person may have taken a small piece of your sandwich but won't eat the whole sandwich, kleptoparasites typically steal only a little bit of food from their victims. They do this because they don't want to waste their energy searching for food themselves.
Some examples of kleptoparasites in the animal kingdom include the cuckoo bird that lays its eggs in other bird's nests to avoid the effort of raising its own young, and certain types of fish that steal bait or prey from other fisherman.
But unlike human sandwich thieves who might end up with empty stomachs or angry friends, kleptoparasites have a survival strategy that allows them to thrive, even if it means taking a little food from others.
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