filter feeder
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Related to filter feeder: Deposit feeder
filter feeder
n.
Any of various aquatic animals, such as clams, sponges, and certain whales, that feed by filtering small organisms or organic particles from water.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fil′ter feed`er
n.
any aquatic animal, as a sponge or clam, that feeds by straining food particles and small organisms from the water.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
filter feeder
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.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.