Animals that must “eat” constantly because food is taken in and then pushed out soon afterward are called continuous feeders. Most of these animals either are permanently attached to something (such as clams or mussels) or are very slow moving.
Clams also represent a group of animals called filter feeders. These animals siphon water and filter out food particles using their two valves. One valve opens to siphon the food from the water, and then the other valve opens to release the filtered water. This happens continually throughout the organism’s life.
Animals that are discontinuous feeders consume larger meals and store the ingested food for later digestion. These animals generally are more active and somewhat nomadic.
Although you might find yourself snacking and grazing constantly throughout a day, you really are a discontinuous feeder (or should be). This means that you can consume food rapidly, but digest it gradually and then (in theory) not have to eat again for several hours.
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