    an insectivore is a carnivore that eats insects. an alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects. the first insectivorous vertebrates were amphibians. when they evolved 400 million years ago, the first amphibians were piscivores, with numerous sharp conical teeth, much like a modern crocodile. the same tooth arrangement is however also suited for eating animals with exoskeletons, thus the ability to eat insects is an extension of piscivory. at one time, insectivorous mammals were scientifically classified in an order called insectivora. this order is now abandoned, as not all insectivorous mammals are closely related. most of the insectivora taxa have been reclassified; those that have not yet been reclassified remain in the order eulipotyphla. although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers - they number over a million described speciescapinera, john l. (editor). (2008). encyclopedia of entomology, (2nd ed). springer reference. isbn 1-4020-6242-7, isbn 978-1-4020-6242-1. ltd preview in google books. accessed on 1 apr 2010. and some of those species occur in enormous numbers. accordingly insects make up a very large part of the animal biomass in almost all
Carnivory Insect_ecology