The Food Chain

To you, this is just a snail. But to many, many animals, this is a steak and lobster dinner. Snails provide protein for animals such as ducks, raccoons, and humans. Humans? Yes, humans enjoy snails, too. The French word for snails is escargot (ess-car-go). Many people eat the snails cooked in garlic and butter. Do you see the little posts sticking up from the head? The snail’s eyes are at the top of these posts.
The snail has a radula in its mouth. A radula is like a file and the snail uses this to scrape off pieces of plants for food. Because it only eats plants, the snail is called an herbivore (erb-i-vor). Herbivores are part of the food chain. The food chain is made of connected links in nature. It starts with plants. Plants are eaten by herbivores. Herbivores are eaten by omnivores and carnivores. Omnivores eat both plants and animals, and carnivores eat only meat. Omnivores and carnivores are eaten by the decomposers and turned into soil. Then plants grow in the soil. And then the food chain starts all over again.

If you are a vegetarian, you eat plant products and maybe eggs and milk. If you are an omnivore, you eat meat and vegetables and milk products. If you eat meat, what is your favorite kind? Chicken? Beef? Fish? What does that animal eat? Probably plant products. So you are in a food chain... you-meat-plant-soil. What other things are you "chained" with in your life?

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