Everything about Kleptoparasitism totally explained
Kleptoparasitism or
cleptoparasitism (literally,
parasitism by
theft) is a form of
feeding where one animal takes
prey from another that has caught, killed, or otherwise prepared, including stored food (as in the case of
cuckoo bees, which lay their eggs on the pollen masses made by other bees). Kleptoparasitism is also the 'stealing' of
nest material or other inanimate objects from one animal by another.
The kleptoparasite gains either by obtaining prey or other objects that it couldn't obtain itself, or by saving the time and effort required to obtain it. However, the kleptoparasite may run the risk of injury from the victim if it's able to defend its property.
Kleptoparasitism may be
intraspecific, where the parasite is the same species as the victim, or
interspecific, where the parasite is a different species. In the latter case, the parasites are commonly close relatives of the organisms they parasitize ("
Emery's Rule").
Animals that have extraordinarily specialized feeding methods are often targets of kleptoparasitism. For example,
oystercatchers are unusual in being able to break through the shells of
mussels; adult oystercatchers suffer intraspecific kleptoparasitism from juveniles that are not yet strong or skillful enough to open mussels easily. Diving birds that bring their prey to the surface suffer interspecific kleptoparasitism from
gulls, which are unable to fetch fish from the sea floor themselves.
Arthropods
Bees and wasps
There are many different lineages of
cuckoo bees, all of which lay their eggs in the nest cells of other
bees. There is also a family of
cuckoo wasps, many of which lay their eggs in the nests of
potter and
mud dauber wasps; many other lineages of
wasps in various families have evolved similar habits. These insects are normally referred to as "cleptoparasites," rather than as "
brood parasites." The distinction is that the term "brood parasite" is generally restricted to cases where the immature parasite is fed directly by the adult of the host, and raised as the host's offspring (as is common in
birds). Such cases are virtually unknown in bees and wasps, which tend to provide all of the food for the larva before the egg is laid; in only a few exceptional cases (such as parasitic
bumblebees) will a bee or wasp female actively feed a larva that isn't her own species. The difference is only in the nature of the interaction by which the transfer of resources occurs (tricking a host into handing over food rather than stealing it by force or stealth), which is why brood parasitism is considered a special form of kleptoparasitism.
Flies
Some
flies are kleptoparasites. This includes several flies of the
Chloropidae and
Milichiidae families. Some adult milichiids, for example, visit
spider webs where they scavenge on half-eaten
stink bugs. Others are associated with robber flies (
Asilidae). Flies in the genus
Bengalia (
Calliphoridae) steal food and pupae transported by
ants and are often found beside their foraging trails.
Spiders
Kleptoparasitic
spiders, which steal or feed on prey captured by other spiders, are known to occur in five families:
True bugs
Many semiaquatic bugs (
Heteroptera) are known to engage in kleptoparastism of prey. In one study, whenever the bug
Velia caprai (
Water Cricket) took prey heaver than 7.9 g, other bugs of the same species joined it and successfully ate parts of the prey.
Vertebrates
Birds
Kleptoparasitism is relatively uncommon in birds; most species don't practice such piracy. However, some non-passerine groups, such as
skuas, jaegers and
frigatebirds, rely extensively on such behavior to obtain food, and others—including
raptors,
gulls,
terns,
coots, and some
ducks and
shorebirds—will do so opportunistically. Among opportunistic species such as the
Roseate Tern, research has found that parent birds involved in kleptoparasitism are more successful in raising broods than non-kleptoparasitic individuals.
Bald Eagles can also be seen attacking smaller raptors, such as Ospreys, to steal fish away from them. Among
passerine birds, there are fewer known examples of kleptoparasitism, though
Masked Shrikes have been recorded stealing food from
wheatears, and
Eurasian Blackbirds have been seen stealing smashed
snails from other
thrushes.
A study of kleptoparasitism in the
Magnificent Frigatebird suggests that the amount of food obtained by kleptoparasitism may be marginal.
Gulls are the perpetrators as well as the victims of kleptoparasitism, with some species frequently exhibiting the behavior, particularly during the breeding season. While the victim is most often another member of the same species, other (principally smaller) gulls and terns are also targeted. In the
Americas,
Heermann's Gulls and
Laughing Gulls are known to steal food from
Brown Pelicans; as the pelicans surface and empty the water from their bills, the gulls lurk nearby and grab escaping food items.
Several species of coots and gallinules have been recorded engaging in kleptoparasitism.
American Coots often feed in the company of other waterfowl species, and occasionally will rob diving ducks—including
Ring-necked Ducks,
Redheads and
Canvasback—when they surface with food.
Eurasian Coots steal from conspecifics, as well as from diving and dabbling ducks, and swans.
Allen's Gallinules rob both conspecifics and
African Pygmy Geese.
Mammals
The relationship between
Spotted Hyenas and
Lions, in which each species steals the other's kills, is a form of kleptoparasitism.
Image:Cheetah with impala kill.jpg|The Cheetah has killed an Impala and eaten part. It is now digesting.
Image:Hyena arriving.jpg|Three minutes later: this Spotted Hyena and another are running toward the kill.
Image:Hyenas at stolen impala kill.jpg|38 seconds later: The Cheetah has fled without resistance. The vultures will also engage in kleptoparasitism: When the hyenas move a piece of the carcass, the vultures will take scraps from the ground.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kleptoparasitism'.
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