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Food and water are two of the most important items in an animal's life. It spends much of its time foraging or flying, walking, climbing or swimming to find food. Some animals live in an area year-round, and often, their diets change with the seasons (e.g., raccoons, crows). Other animals (e.g. hummingbirds, swallows) eat only one or two types of food, and must migrate when their foods are not available.

The animal is its food: dietary protein becomes its skin, bone, organs, muscles, blood, fur or feathers. Food provides energy so that the animal can move, keep warm, and function normally. Food also provides water.

Formulating balanced diets for captive wildlife is crucial if animals are to be physically and psychologically healthy.

The science of wildlife nutrition is based on an understanding of the animal's physiology and digestive tract, its natural history, its natural diet and food in general.

An animal has evolved to eat the things it does, and cannot change its physiology to accommodate food groups other than those to which it has evolved. For example, an animal that eats only nectar and insects year-round cannot switch to a rehabilitation diet of seed and grass. Consequently, it falls to us to find natural foods, and when they are not available, foods that closely resemble them in composition and presentation.

Nutritional strategies are categorized by animals' digestive tracts and by the food groups in which they forage. For example, an eagle is a carnivore, and everything about it (from its flight to talons to vision to digestion) is adapted to catching, eating and digesting prey. A rabbit is an herbivore, and its digestive tract is adapted to break down plant foods. An eagle cannot digest or use the rabbit's food for building blocks or energy, nor can the rabbit digest or use the eagle's food.

An outline of feeding strategies (e.g., carnivore, herbivore, etc.) and digestion is offered on the University of Connecticut website:

Food is ingested via the mouth, where it is moistened and manipulated to the back of the throat. When swallowed, it moves through the digestive system (also known as the gut or gastrointestinal tract).

The digestive tracts of animals range from simple to complex. Comparisons of different tracts can be found at OurWorld

Digestion is a process in which complex food molecules are broken down into a state in which they can be absorbed. The process requires enzymes and bacteria.
Once foods have been digested, they are absorbed and circulated throughout the body. Undigested foods and other wastes are eliminated. Digestion/absorption information can be found at OurWorld

All foods are comprised of water, protein, lipids (fat), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are nutrients. Their combinations and compositions are not the same in every food. For example, plant protein and animal protein differ. The carbohydrates (sugars) in a strawberry are not the same as the carbohydrates of milk. Learn more about the classes of nutrients at OurWorld

To learn more about the fundamentals of nutrition and wildlife nutrition, choose one of the topics below or from the right menu.

Applied Animal Nutrition:Feeds and Feeding (2nd Edition) by Peter R. Cheeke Hardcover: 525 pages Prentice Hall ISBN:0137793316 [see it at amazon.com]

Basic Animal Nutrition and Feeding: by W. G. Pond, K. R. Pond (Contributor), David C. Church This updated and expanded edition offers current knowledge of nutrient metabolism and the formulation of diets from an array of available feedstuffs. Discusses animals' role in ecological balance, environmental stability and sustainable agriculture and food production. A new section on life-cycle feeding of individual animal classes features chapters contributed by authorities in their respective fields of animal nutrition. Paperback: 624 pages John Wiley & Sons ISBN:0471308641 [see it at amazon.com]

Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition, 2nd Edition: by Charles T. Robbins Based on an upper-level undergraduate course, explores the nutritional needs of wild mammals and birds. Assumes that students of wildlife biology and related fields have little background in nutrition, so each chapter begins with the basics and proceeds to topics that can challenge advanced students and professionals. Emphasizes the complexity of wildlife feeding compared to that of domestic animals, and the implications for managing animals both in the wild and in captivity. Paperback Academic Press ISBN:0125893833 [see it at amazon.com]