Describing an organism that eats food found outside its body, or relating to external eating as opposed to internal digestion.
From Greek 'exo-' (outside) and 'phagous' (eating). This zoological term describes feeding behaviors where digestion happens partially outside the organism rather than entirely within it.
Spiders are exophagous—they inject digestive enzymes into their prey to break it down outside their bodies before sucking up the liquid meal, which is way more efficient than trying to swallow something whole.
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