Kleptoparasites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Animals that acquire their nourishment by pilfering from other species
2. Creatures that feed by taking resources from other organisms instead of obtaining them themselves
3. Organisms that obtain their food by stealing it from other animals or sources rather than hunting or gathering themselves

Etymology: Kleptoparasitism is a behaviour that turns up across the animal kingdom, from seabirds to spiders, and its name is a modern blend built from two Greek-derived parts. The first, "klepto-", comes from Greek "kleptein", meaning "to steal", the same root behind "kleptomania". The second is "parasite", which has a longer and stranger history than most readers would expect. Ancient Greek "parasitos" originally meant "one who eats at another's table", from "para" meaning "beside" and "sitos" meaning "grain" or "food". Its earliest sense was not a freeloader or a disease-carrier but a respected official or a dinner guest who shared a sacred meal, and the sense only slid toward sponging and scrounging over time. Latin borrowed it as "parasitus", and it reached English through Middle French "parasite". Kleptoparasite joins these two parts: "klepto-" supplies the thieving and "parasite" supplies the living-off-others. The result describes an animal that takes food another creature has already found, caught or stored, rather than hunting it directly.

Synonyms: thief, looter, robber, plunderer, predator