# I need a biologist/naturalist

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 9, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069 "2014-05-09T17:23:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069/1 "2014-05-09T17:23:59Z")

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So, some carnivores eat bugs. They are insectivores.

Some carnivores eat snakes. That is ophiophagy.

Hell, there’s even terms for blood-eaters (hematophagy) and eating ants specifically (myrmecophagy). But god forbid there be a term for something that eats eggs.

I have a carnivore that eats eggs and baby birds - avivore covers birds, but is it inclusive of egg-stealing also? If it isn’t, then what the hell is the word I’m looking for?

Oophagy seems to be restricted to in-utero egg cannibalism, and oviraptor is a specific species name that I want to avoid, and ovophagy or oovore don’t seem to exist as words.

Many thanks!

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**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069/2 "2014-05-09T17:29:38Z")

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Ovivore?

> **[Ovivore - definition - Encyclo](https://www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-ovivore)**
>
> 1) ovivorous, ovivore, ovivory These words represent either: feeding on eggs or eating the flesh of sheep.

Brian

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**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069/3 "2014-05-09T17:52:27Z")

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God damnit, that was the first thing I looked up and didn’t find anything. I think that means it’s time to take a break and eat something.

Actually, thinking about it, I think I tried **ovivorous** first, and I probably misspelled it.

I swear, sometimes I wonder if my brain just goes on break without telling me first.

Thank you for answering a stupid question kindly.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-biologist-naturalist/688069/4 "2014-05-09T18:48:14Z")

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> [@Lasciel](#):
>
> Oophagy seems to be restricted to in-utero egg cannibalism, and oviraptor is a specific species name that I want to avoid, and ovophagy or oovore don’t seem to exist as words.

Actually, oophagy is a more general term that applies to egg-eating in general, e.g. [oophagous snakes.](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1988.tb02448.x/abstract) It’s not restricted to in utero cannibalism (as in sharks). That’s the term I would use.

In the biological literature, the most common term for the behavior you describe is simply “nest predator.”