filter feeder

noun

1. an aquatic animal that feeds on particles or small organisms strained out of water by circulating them through its system: includes most of the stationary feeders, as clams, oysters, barnacles, corals, sea squirts, and sponges.

filter feeder

1. An aquatic animal, such as a clam or sponge, that feeds by filtering tiny organisms or fine particles of organic material from currents of water that pass through it.

Word History and Origins

Origin of filter feeder¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Ailes explains that because the bivalves are filter feeders, they have actually helped to clear particulate matter from the water.

From Popular-Science

These intrepid filter feeders engineer their ecosystems to the benefit of others from seaweeds to fish spawn.

From Popular-Science

That lingering could help the filter feeders catch more plankton.

From Science News

The eagle shark’s broad, rounded head, long jaws and small teeth hint that it may have been a filter feeder, sucking in floating plankton from seawater.

From Science News