Editing Filter feeder

{{Short description|Animals that feed by straining food from water}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Filterkrillkils2.gif|thumb|upright|Krill feeding in a high [[phytoplankton]] concentration (slowed by a factor of 12)]]

'''Filter feeders''' are [[aquatic animal]]s that acquire [[nutrient]]s by [[feeding]] on [[organic matter]]s, [[food]] [[particle (ecology)|particle]]s or smaller [[organism]]s ([[bacteria]], [[microalgae]] and [[zooplankton]]s) [[suspension (chemistry)|suspend]]ed in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a specialized [[filtration|filtering]] [[organ (biology)|organ]] that sieves out and/or traps solids. Filter feeders can play an important role in condensing [[biomass (ecology)|biomass]] and removing [[nutrient pollution|excess nutrients]] (such as [[nitrogen]] and [[phosphate]]) from the local [[waterbody]], and are therefore considered water-cleaning [[ecosystem engineer]]s. They are also important in [[bioaccumulation]] and, as a result, as [[indicator organism]]s.

Filter feeders can be [[sessility (motility)|sessile]], [[plankton]]ic, [[nekton]]ic or even [[neuston]]ic (in the case of the [[buoy barnacle]]) depending on the [[species]] and the [[ecological niche|niche]]s they have [[evolution|evolve]]d to occupy. Extant species that rely on such [[aquatic feeding mechanisms|method of feeding]] encompass numerous [[phylum|phyla]], including [[poriferan]]s ([[sponge]]s), [[cnidarian]]s ([[jellyfish]], [[sea pen]]s and [[coral]]s), [[arthropod]]s ([[krill]], [[mysid]]s and [[barnacle]]s), [[mollusc]]s ([[bivalves]], such as [[clam]]s, [[scallop]]s and [[oyster]]s), [[echinoderm]]s ([[sea lilies]]) and [[chordate]]s ([[lancelet]]s, [[sea squirts]] and [[salp]]s, as well as many [[marine life|marine]] [[vertebrate]]s such as most species of [[forage fish]], [[American paddlefish]], [[silver carp|silver]] and [[bighead carp]]s, [[baleen whale]]s, [[manta ray]] and three species of [[shark]]s—the [[whale shark]], [[basking shark]] and [[megamouth shark]]). Some [[water bird]]s such as [[flamingo]]s and certain [[duck]] species, though predominantly terrestrial, are also filter feeders when [[foraging]].

==Fish==
{{See also|Forage fish}}

Most [[forage fish]] are filter feeders. For example, the [[Atlantic menhaden]], a type of [[herring]], lives on [[plankton]] caught in midwater. Adult menhaden can filter up to four gallons of water a minute and play an important role in clarifying ocean water. They are also a natural check to the deadly [[red tide]].<ref name="Franklin2006">{{cite web | author=H. Bruce Franklin | url=https://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/03/net_losses.html | title=Net Losses: Declaring War on the Menhaden|publisher=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |date=March 2006| access-date=27 February 2009 }} Extensive article on the role of menhaden in the ecosystem and possible results of overfishing.</ref>

In addition to these bony fish, four types of [[chondrichthyes|cartilaginous fishes]] are also filter feeders. The [[whale shark]] sucks in a mouthful of water, closes its mouth and expels the water through its [[gill]]s. During the slight delay between closing the mouth and opening the gill flaps, plankton is trapped against the [[dermal denticle]]s which line its gill plates and [[pharynx]]. This fine sieve-like apparatus, which is a unique modification of the gill rakers, prevents the passage of anything but fluid out through the gills (anything above 2 to 3&nbsp;mm in diameter is trapped). Any material caught in the filter between the gill bars is swallowed. Whale sharks have been observed "coughing" and it is presumed that this is a method of clearing a build up of food particles in the gill rakers.<ref name=fishbase>{{cite web|author=Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly|title=Rhincodon typus|publisher=FishBase|access-date=17 September 2006|url=http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2081}}</ref><ref name="RQBM">{{cite web|author=Martin, R. Aidan.|title=Elasmo Research|publisher=ReefQuest|access-date=17 September 2006|url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/d_filter_feeding.htm}}</ref><ref name="FLMNH">{{cite web|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whaleshark/whaleshark.html|title=Whale shark|publisher=Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History|access-date=17 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905043610/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/whaleshark/whaleshark.html|archive-date=5 September 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[megamouth shark]] has luminous organs called [[photophore]]s around its mouth. It is believed they may exist to lure plankton or small fish into its mouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moocs.southampton.ac.uk/oceans/2014/10/28/glow-in-the-dark-sharks/|author=Bird, Christopher|title=Glow in the Dark Sharks|publisher=University of Southampton|date=28 October 2014|access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref> The [[basking shark]] is a passive filter feeder, filtering [[plankton|zooplankton]], small fish, and [[invertebrate]]s from up to 2,000 tons of water per hour.<ref name=FLMNHB>{{cite web|author1=C. Knickle|author2=L. Billingsley|author3=K. DiVittorio|title=Biological Profiles basking shark|publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History|access-date=11 June 2018|url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/baskingshark/baskingshark.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821033819/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/baskingshark/baskingshark.html|archive-date=21 August 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> Unlike the megamouth and whale sharks, the basking shark does not appear to actively seek its quarry; but it does possess large [[olfactory bulb]]s that may guide it in the right direction. Unlike the other large filter feeders, it relies only on the water that is pushed through the gills by swimming; the megamouth shark and whale shark can suck or pump water through their gills.<ref name="FLMNHB"/> [[Manta ray]]s can time their arrival at the spawning of large shoals of fish and feed on the free-floating eggs and sperm. This stratagem is also employed by whale sharks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Danielle |title=The Massive Filter Feeding Shark You Ought to Know {{!}} Smithsonian Ocean |url=https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/massive-filter-feeding-shark-you-ought-know |website=ocean.si.edu |access-date=30 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Arthropods==
[[Image:Mysis2kils.jpg|thumb|upright|Filter basket of a [[mysid]]]]

Like all arthropods, crustaceans are [[ecdysozoa]]ns, a clade without [[Cilium|cilia]]. Cilia play an important role for many filter feeding animals, but because crustaceans don't have them, they need to use modified extremities for filter feeding instead.<ref>[https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.2019.0165 Neuronal coordination of motile cilia in locomotion and feeding]</ref> [[Mysidacea]]ns live close to shore and hover above the sea floor, constantly collecting particles with their filter basket. They are an important food source for [[Atlantic herring|herring]], [[cod]], [[flounder]], and [[striped bass]]. Mysids have a high resistance to toxins in polluted areas, and may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} [[Antarctic krill]] manages to directly utilize the minute [[phytoplankton]] cells, which no other higher animal of krill size can do. This is accomplished through filter feeding, using the krill's developed front legs, providing for a very efficient filtering apparatus:<ref>Kils, U.: ''[[s:Author:Uwe Kils/polar/part1|Swimming and feeding of Antarctic Krill, ''Euphausia superba'' - some outstanding energetics and dynamics—some unique morphological details]]''. In ''Berichte zur Polarforschung'', [[Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research]], Special Issue 4 (1983): "On the biology of Krill ''Euphausia superba''", Proceedings of the Seminar and Report of Krill Ecology Group, Editor S. B. Schnack, 130–155 and title page image.</ref> the six [[thoracopod]]s form a very effective "feeding basket" used to collect phytoplankton from the open water. In the animation at the top of this page, the krill is hovering at a 55° angle on the spot. In lower food concentrations, the feeding basket is pushed through the water for over half a meter in an opened position, and then the algae are combed to the mouth opening with special setae on the inner side of the thoracopods.
[[Porcelain crab]]s have feeding appendages covered with setae to filter food particles from the flowing water.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Valdivia, Nelson |author2=Stotz, Wolfgang |title=Feeding Behavior of the Porcellanid Crab Allopetrolisthes Spinifrons, Symbiont of the Sea Anemone Phymactis Papillosa |journal=[[Journal of Crustacean Biology]] |volume=26 |issue=3 |year=2006 |pages=308–315 |doi=10.1651/C-2607.1|doi-access=free |bibcode=2006JCBio..26..308S }}</ref>
Most species of [[barnacle]]s are filter feeders, using their highly modified legs to sift plankton from the water.<ref>{{cite web |title=Acorn Barnacles |url=http://www.theseashore.org.uk/theseashore/SpeciesPages/BARNACLE.jpg.html |publisher=Field Studies Council |access-date=11 June 2018 |date=2008}}</ref>

Also some insects with aquatic larvae or nymphs are filter feeders during their aquatic stage. Such as some species of [[mayfly]] nymphs,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/spp2.1456 | doi=10.1002/spp2.1456 | title=Evolution of filter-feeding in aquatic insects dates back to the Middle Triassic: New evidence from stem-group mayflies (Insecta, Ephemerida) from Grès à Voltzia, Vosges, France | date=2022 | last1=Sroka | first1=Pavel | last2=Staniczek | first2=Arnold H. | journal=Papers in Palaeontology | volume=8 | issue=4 | bibcode=2022PPal....8E1456S | url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[mosquito]] larvae,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roberts |first=Derek |date=2014 |title=Mosquito Larvae Change Their Feeding Behavior in Response to Kairomones From Some Predators |journal=Journal of Medical Entomology |language=en |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=368–374 |doi=10.1603/ME13129|pmid=24724285 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and [[black fly]] larvae.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/z78-222 | doi=10.1139/z78-222 | title=Efficiency of filter feeding of black fly larvae (Diptera: Simuliidae) | date=1978 | last1=Kurtak | first1=Daniel C. | journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology | volume=56 | issue=7 | pages=1608–1623 | bibcode=1978CaJZ...56.1608K | url-access=subscription }}</ref> Instead of using modified limbs or mouthparts, some [[caddisfly]] larvae produce nets of silk used for filter feeding.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Mason |first=Richard |title=The zoogeomorphology of case-building caddisfly larvae |date=June 2020 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327067377.pdf}}</ref>

==Baleen whales==
[[File:Squelette de baleine australe.JPG|thumb|left|Mouth plates of a baleen whale]]

The [[baleen whale]]s (Mysticeti), one of two suborders of the [[Cetacea]] (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), are characterized by having [[baleen]] plates for filtering food from water, rather than teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans, the [[toothed whales]] (Odontoceti). The suborder contains four families and fourteen species. Baleen whales typically seek out a concentration of zooplankton, swim through it, either open-mouthed or gulping, and filter the prey from the water using their baleens. A baleen is a row of a large number of [[keratin]] plates attached to the upper jaw with a composition similar to those in human hair or fingernails. These plates are triangular in section with the largest, inward-facing side bearing fine hairs forming a filtering mat.<ref name="Bannister-2008">{{cite book|last=Bannister|first=John L.|chapter=Baleen Whales (Mysticetes)|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr/page/n114 80]–89|title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr|url-access=limited|editor1-last=Perrin|editor1-first=William F.|editor2-last=Würsig|editor2-first=Bernd|editor3-last=Thewissen|editor3-first=J. G. M.|year=2008|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-12-373553-9}}</ref> [[Right whale]]s are slow swimmers with large heads and mouths. Their baleen plates are narrow and very long&nbsp;— up to {{Convert|4|m|abbr=on}} in [[Bowhead whale|bowheads]]&nbsp;— and accommodated inside the enlarged lower lip which fits onto the bowed upper jaw. As the right whale swims, a front gap between the two rows of baleen plates lets the water in together with the prey, while the baleens filter out the water.<ref name="Bannister-2008" /> [[Rorqual]]s such as the [[blue whale]], in contrast, have smaller heads, are fast swimmers with short and broad baleen plates. To catch prey, they widely open their lower jaw&nbsp;— almost 90°&nbsp;— swim through a swarm gulping, while lowering their tongue so that the head's ventral grooves expand and vastly increase the amount of water taken in.<ref name="Bannister-2008"/> Baleen whales typically eat [[krill]] in polar or subpolar waters during summers, but can also take schooling fish, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. All baleen whales except the [[gray whale]] feed near the water surface, rarely diving deeper than {{Convert|100|m|abbr=on}} or for extended periods. Gray whales live in shallow waters feeding primarily on bottom-living organisms such as [[Amphipoda|amphipods]].<ref name="Bannister-2008"/>

==Bivalves==
{{externalimage
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|image1=[https://archive.today/20110518221843/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Scrobicularia_plana/Scrobicularia_plana_00.html?movietype=qtSmall Movie clip of siphon feeding]
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[[Bivalve]]s are aquatic [[mollusc]]s which have [[Bivalve shell|two-part shell]]s. Typically both shells (or valves) are [[symmetry|symmetrical]] along the hinge line. The class has 30,000 [[species]], including [[scallop]]s, [[clam]]s, [[oyster]]s and [[mussel]]s. Most bivalves are filter feeders (although some have taken up scavenging and predation), extracting organic matter from the sea in which they live. [[Nephridia]], the shellfish version of [[kidney]]s, remove the waste material. Buried bivalves feed by extending a siphon to the surface. For example, [[oyster]]s draw water in over their gills through the beating of [[cilia]]. Suspended food ([[phytoplankton]], [[zooplankton]], [[algae]] and other water-borne nutrients and particles) are trapped in the mucus of a gill, and from there are transported to the mouth, where they are eaten, digested and expelled as feces or [[pseudofeces]]. Each oyster filters up to five litres of water per hour. Scientists believe that the [[Chesapeake Bay]]'s once-flourishing oyster population historically filtered the estuary's entire water volume of excess nutrients every three or four days. Today that process would take almost a year,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/oyster-reef-habitat|title=Oyster Reefs: Ecological importance|publisher=US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref> and sediment, nutrients, and algae can cause problems in local waters. Oysters filter these pollutants,<ref>The comparative roles of suspension-feeders in ecosystems. Springer. Dordrecht, 359 p.</ref> and either eat them or shape them into small packets that are deposited on the bottom where they are harmless.

Bivalve shellfish recycle nutrients that enter waterways from human and agricultural sources. [[Nutrient pollution#Nutrient remediation|Nutrient bioextraction]] is "an environmental management strategy by which nutrients are removed from an aquatic ecosystem through the harvest of enhanced biological production, including the aquaculture of suspension-feeding shellfish or algae".<ref>NOAA. "[http://longislandsoundstudy.net/issues-actions/water-quality/nutrient-bioextraction-overview/ Nutrient Bioextraction Overview]". Long Island Sound Study.</ref> Nutrient removal by shellfish, which are then harvested from the system, has the potential to help address environmental issues including excess inputs of nutrients ([[eutrophication]]), low dissolved oxygen, reduced light availability and impacts on eelgrass, harmful algal blooms, and increases in incidence of [[paralytic shellfish poisoning]] (PSP). For example, the average harvested mussel contains: 0.8–1.2% nitrogen and 0.06–0.08% phosphorus<ref>Stadmark and Conley. 2011. Mussel farming as a nutrient reduction measure in the Baltic Sea: consideration of nutrient biogeochemical cycles. Marine Pollution Bull. 62(7):1385-8</ref> Removal of enhanced biomass can not only combat eutrophication and also support the local economy by providing product for animal feed or compost. In Sweden, environmental agencies utilize mussel farming as a management tool in improving water quality conditions, where [[Nutrient pollution#Nutrient remediation|mussel bioextraction]] efforts have been evaluated and shown to be a highly effective source of fertilizer and animal feed<ref>{{cite journal | author = Lindahl O, Hernroth R., Kollberg S., Loo L.-O, Olrog L., Rehnstam-Holm A.-S., Svensson J., Svensson S., Syversen U. | year = 2005 | title = Improving marine water quality by mussel farming: A profitable solution for Swedish society | journal = Ambio | volume = 34 | issue = 2| pages = 131–138 | doi=10.1579/0044-7447-34.2.131 | pmid = 15865310| bibcode = 2005Ambio..34..131L | s2cid = 25371433 }}</ref> In the U.S., researchers are investigating potential to model the use of shellfish and seaweed for nutrient mitigation in certain areas of Long Island Sound.<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller and Wands|title=Applying the System Wide Eutrophication Model (SWEM) for a Preliminary Quantitative Evaluation of Biomass Harvesting as a Nutrient Control Strategy for Long Island Sound|url=http://longislandsoundstudy.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/SWEMbiohrvstrprtv2_12_04_09.pdf|publisher=Hydroqual, Inc.}}</ref>

Bivalves are also largely used as [[bioindicators]] to monitor the health of an aquatic environment, either fresh- or seawater. Their population status or structure, physiology, behaviour,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://molluscan-eye.epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr/index.php?rubrique=accueil&lang=en |title=behaviour |access-date=25 January 2014 |archive-date=13 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113173444/http://molluscan-eye.epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr/index.php?rubrique=accueil&lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> or their content of certain elements or compounds can reveal the contamination status of any aquatic ecosystem. They are useful as they are sessile, which means they are closely representative of the environment where they are sampled or placed (caging), and they breathe water all the time, exposing their gills and internal tissues: [[bioaccumulation]]. One of the most famous projects in that field is the [[Mussel Watch Program]]me in America.

==Sponges==
[[File:Callyspongia sp. (Tube sponge).jpg|thumb|Tube sponges attracting small [[reef fish]]]]

Sponges have no true [[circulatory system]]; instead, they create a water current which is used for circulation. Dissolved gases are brought to cells and enter the cells via simple [[diffusion]]. [[Metabolic waste]]s are also transferred to the water through diffusion. Sponges pump remarkable amounts of water. ''[[Leuconia]]'', for example, is a small leuconoid sponge about 10&nbsp;cm tall and 1&nbsp;cm in diameter. It is estimated that water enters through more than 80,000 incurrent canals at a speed of 6&nbsp;cm per minute. However, because ''Leuconia'' has more than 2 million flagellated chambers whose combined diameter is much greater than that of the canals, water flow through chambers slows to 3.6&nbsp;cm per hour.<ref>See Hickman and Roberts (2001) Integrated principles of zoology – 11th ed., p. 247</ref> Such a flow rate allows easy food capture by the collar cells. Water is expelled through a single [[osculum]] at a velocity of about 8.5&nbsp;cm/second: a jet force capable of carrying waste products some distance away from the sponge.

==Cnidarians==
The [[Moon Jelly|moon jellyfish]] has a grid of fibres which are slowly pulled through the water. The motion is so slow that [[copepod]]s cannot sense it and do not react with an [[escape response]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

<gallery>
Image:Aureliaauritakils1.jpg|An undulating live ''Aurelia'' in the [[Baltic Sea]] showing the grid in action
Image:Aureliaauritakils2.jpg|Higher magnification showing a prey item, probably a [[copepod]]
Image:Aureliaauritakils3.jpg|The prey is then drawn to the body by contracting the fibres in a corkscrew fashion (image taken with an [[ecoSCOPE]]).
</gallery>

Other filter-feeding cnidarians include [[sea pen]]s, [[sea fan]]s, [[Metridium|plumose anemones]], and ''[[Xenia (genus)|Xenia]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

==Tunicates==
[[File:Tunicate komodo.jpg|thumb|Tunicates take water in through a siphon and then expel filtered water through another siphon.]]

[[Tunicate]]s, such as [[ascidians]], [[salp]]s and [[sea squirt]]s, are [[chordate]]s which form a sister group to the [[vertebrate]]s. Nearly all tunicates are [[suspension feeder]]s, capturing [[plankton]]ic particles by filtering sea water through their bodies. Water is drawn into the body through the inhalant [[:wiktionary:buccal|buccal]] siphon by the action of [[Cilium|cilia]] lining the gill slits. The filtered water is then expelled through a separate exhalant siphon. To obtain enough food, a typical tunicate needs to process about one body-volume of water per second.<ref name=Ruppert>{{cite book |title=Invertebrate Zoology, 7th edition |last1=Ruppert |first1=Edward E. |last2=Fox |first2=Richard, S. |last3=Barnes |first3=Robert D. |year=2004 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-81-315-0104-7 |pages=940–956 }}</ref>

==Birds==
[[File:Phoeniconaias minor 01.jpg|thumb|The [[wikt:arcuate|arcuate]] bill of this [[lesser flamingo]] is well adapted to bottom scooping]]

[[Flamingo]]s filter-feed on [[brine shrimp]]. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called [[lamella (zoology)|lamellae]] which line the [[mandible]]s, and the large rough-surfaced tongue.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hh11gLdZyDgC&pg=PA456|author=Carnaby, Trevor|title=Beat about the Bush: Birds|publisher=Jacana|orig-year=2008|year=2010|page=456|isbn=978-1-77009-241-9}}</ref>

[[Prion (bird)|Prions]] are specialised petrels with filter-feeding habits. Their name comes from their saw-like jaw edges, used to scope out small planktionic animals.<ref>Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Albatrosses, Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels". Latin Names Explained A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. pp. 191–192. ISBN 0-8160-3377-3.</ref>

The extinct [[swan]] ''[[Annakacygna]]'' is speculated to be a filter-feeder due to its bill proportions being similar to those of [[shoveler duck]]s. It is unique in being a large, flightless marine animal, unlike the smaller still volant flamingos and prions.

==Pterosaurs==
Traditionally, [[Ctenochasmatoidea]] as a group has been listed as filter-feeders, due to their long, multiple slender teeth, clearly well adapted to trap prey. However, only ''[[Pterodaustro]]'' showcases a proper pumping mechanism, having up-turned jaws and powerful jaw and tongue musculature. Other ctenochasmatoids lack these, and are now instead thought to have been [[spoonbill]]-like catchers, using their specialised teeth simply to offer a larger surface area. Tellingly, these teeth, while small and numerous, are comparatively unspecialised to the baleen-like teeth of ''[[Pterodaustro]]''.<ref name="Wilton, Mark p. 2013">{{cite book|title=Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy|author=Wilton, Mark P.|isbn=978-0691150611|year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press}}</ref>

[[Boreopterid]]s are thought to have relied on a kind of rudimentary filter feeding, using their long, slender teeth to trap small fish, though probably lacking the pumping mechanism of ''Pterodaustro''. In essence, their foraging mechanism was similar to that of modern young ''[[Platanista]]'' "[[river dolphin|dolphins]]".<ref name="Wilton, Mark p. 2013"/><ref>{{cite journal | author = Pilleri G., Marcuzzi G., Pilleri O. | year = 1982 | title = Speciation in the Platanistoidea, systematic, zoogeographical and ecological observations on recent species | journal = Investigations on Cetacea | volume = 14 | pages = 15–46 }}</ref>

==Marine reptiles==
Filter feeding habits are conspicuously rare among [[Mesozoic]] [[marine reptile]]s, the main filter feeding niche being seemingly instead occupied by [[Pachycormidae|pachycormid]] fish. However, some sauropsids have been suggested to have engaged in filter feeding. ''[[Henodus]]'' was a placodont with unique baleen-like denticles and features of the hyoid and jaw musculature comparable to those of flamingos. Combined with its lacustrine environment, it might have occupied a similar ecological niche.<ref>Rieppel, O. (2002). Feeding mechanisms in Triassic stem-group sauropterygians: the anatomy of a successful invasion of Mesozoic seas Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 135, 33–63</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Naish D | year = 2004 | title = Fossils explained 48. Placodonts | journal = Geology Today | volume = 20 | issue = 4| pages = 153–158 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2451.2004.00470.x| bibcode = 2004GeolT..20..153N | s2cid = 128475420 }}</ref> In particular, it was probably a [[herbivore]], filtering out [[algae]] and other small-sized [[flora]] from the substrates.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Chun, Li |author2=Rieppel, Olivier|author3=Long, Cheng|author4=Fraser, Nicholas C. |title=The earliest herbivorous marine reptile and its remarkable jaw apparatus|journal=Science Advances |date=May 2016 |volume=2 |issue=5 |page=e1501659|doi=10.1126/sciadv.1501659|pmc=4928886|pmid=27386529|bibcode=2016SciA....2E1659C}}</ref>
[[Stomatosuchidae]] is a family of freshwater [[Crocodylomorpha|crocodylomorphs]] with rorqual-like jaws and minuscule teeth, and the unrelated [[Cenozoic]] ''[[Mourasuchus]]'' shares similar adaptations.
[[Hupehsuchia]] is a lineage of bizarre [[Triassic]] reptiles adapted for suspension feeding.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Sanderson S. L., Wassersug R. | year = 1990 | title = Suspension-feeding vertebrates | journal = Scientific American | volume = 262 | issue = 3| pages = 96–101 | doi = 10.1038/scientificamerican0390-96 | bibcode = 1990SciAm.262c..96S }}</ref>
Some [[plesiosaurs]] might have had filter-feeding habits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://antediluviansalad.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/plesiosaur-machinations-xi-imitation.html|title=Plesiosaur Machinations XI: Imitation Crab Meat Conveyor Belt and the Filter Feeding Plesiosaur|date=25 July 2015|access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Particle (ecology)]]
* [[Planktivore]]
* [[Predation]]
* [[Spider web]]s—aerial biofilters,<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Gregorič | first1=Matjaž | last2=Kutnjak | first2=Denis | last3=Bačnik | first3=Katarina | last4=Gostinčar | first4=Cene | last5=Pecman | first5=Anja | last6=Ravnikar | first6=Maja | last7=Kuntner | first7=Matjaž | title=Spider webs as eDNA samplers: Biodiversity assessment across the tree of life | journal=Molecular Ecology Resources | publisher=Wiley | date=16 May 2022 | volume=22 | issue=7 | pages=2534–2545 | issn=1755-098X | doi=10.1111/1755-0998.13629| pmid=35510791 | s2cid=248527088 }}</ref> with analogies to aquatic filter feeding

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* {{Cite journal |author=Bullivant, JS |date=July 1968 |title=A Revised Classification of Suspension Feeders |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio16Tuat02-t1-body-d6.html |journal=Tuatara |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=151–160}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Ostroumov |first=S. A. |date=July 2005 |title=Some Aspects of Water Filtering Activity of Filter-Feeders |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-004-1875-1 |url-access=subscription |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |journal=Hydrobiologia |volume=542 |issue=1 |pages=275–286 |doi=10.1007/s10750-004-1875-1|bibcode=2005HyBio.542..275O }}

==External links==
* [http://www.ecoscope.com/krill/filter/index.htm Filter feeder of krill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020501120429/http://www.ecoscope.com/krill/filter/index.htm |date=1 May 2002 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150907012135/http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/about/coast/nsandt/musselwatch.aspx Mussel Watch Programme]

{{feeding}}
{{diversity of fish}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Filter Feeder}}
[[Category:Aquatic ecology]]