Bottom-feeder (Noun)
Meaning 1
A fish that lives and feeds on the bottom of a body of water.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Catfish are common bottom-feeders found in many freshwater environments throughout the world.
- The abundance of goldfish in the pond attracted a variety of bottom-feeder fish.
- One type of bottom-feeder is the eel, which navigates the dark sea floors using its senses.
- This bottom-feeder, the loach, lives among gravel or pebbles and feeds on the small invertebrates found there.
- Many bottom-feeders, like the herring and cod, are commercially valuable fish.
Synonyms
Meaning 2
A scavenger that feeds low on the food chain.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The catfish is a classic example of a bottom-feeder, feeding on the decaying matter on the lake floor.
- In aquatic ecosystems, bottom-feeders like oysters play a crucial role in maintaining water quality.
- After a severe storm, the local fish populations were ravaged, leaving the bottom-feeders to clean up the dead and decaying fish.
- Electric eels are known to consume a diet rich in fish remains, making them a vital component of their ecosystem as bottom-feeders.
- Crustaceans such as the crayfish are an essential link in the aquatic food chain, with many operating as opportunistic bottom-feeders when necessary.