Food Chain And Food Web Worksheet - Free Printable

Let's solve each question based on the food web diagram provided. I'll go step by step and explain each answer.

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1) Which of the following is an omnivore?

a) Bird
b) Snake
c) Skunk
d) Squirrel

Answer: c) Skunk

Explanation:
An omnivore eats both plants and animals.
- The skunk in the food web eats seeds and nuts (plants) and also insects or small animals (implied by its connection to the caterpillar and possibly other prey).
- The bird eats caterpillars (insects), so it’s a carnivore.
- The snake eats birds and rabbits, so it's a carnivore.
- The squirrel eats seeds and nuts — it's a herbivore.
Only the skunk shows connections to both plant matter and animal prey → omnivore.

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2) How many apex predators are shown on this food web?

Answer: 2

Explanation:
Apex predators are at the top of the food chain and have no natural predators.
In this food web:
- Owl eats bird, squirrel, and snake.
- Snake eats bird and rabbit.
- But the owl eats the snake, so the snake is not an apex predator.
- The owl has no one eating it → apex predator.
- Is there another? Let’s check:
- The bird is eaten by owl and snake → not apex.
- Rabbit, squirrel, skunk are prey → not apex.
- Caterpillar → herbivore, eaten by bird → not apex.
- So only owl is at the very top.

Wait — but the snake is eaten by the owl, so only the owl is an apex predator?

But let’s double-check:
The owl eats the snake, so snake is not apex.
Is there any other predator that isn't eaten?
No — the owl is the only one with no predator shown.

So only one apex predator: Owl

But wait — maybe I misread. Let’s look again:

- Owl → eats bird, squirrel, snake
- Snake → eats bird, rabbit
- Bird → eats caterpillar
- Rabbit → eats plants
- Squirrel → eats seeds/nuts
- Skunk → eats seeds/nuts and possibly insects (but here it's shown feeding on seeds/nuts)
- Caterpillar → eats plants

Now, is the snake eaten by anyone? Yes — by the owl.
So snake is not apex.
Owl is not eaten by anyone → apex predator.

So only one apex predator.

But let’s re-express: Is there any other top-level predator?

Wait — what about the bird? No, it’s eaten by snake and owl.

So only owl is at the top.

Answer: 1 apex predator (the Owl)

But the question says “how many” — so if only owl is apex, then answer is 1.

But sometimes in food webs, multiple species can be apex.

Wait — is the snake an apex predator? No — it's eaten by owl.

So only one apex predator: Owl

✔ Answer: 1

But let me confirm: Apex predator = no natural predator in this web

Yes → Owl only

Final Answer: 1

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3) List three herbivores shown on this food web.

Answer:
1) Rabbit
2) Caterpillar
3) Squirrel

(Or: Rabbit, Caterpillar, Skunk — but skunk is omnivore)

Wait — herbivores eat only plants

- Rabbit → eats plants ✔
- Caterpillar → eats plants ✔
- Squirrel → eats seeds and nuts (plant parts) ✔
- Skunk → eats seeds and nuts, but also may eat insects — shown as eating seeds/nuts, but likely omnivore → not purely herbivore

So best choices:
1) Rabbit
2) Caterpillar
3) Squirrel

Answer:
1) Rabbit
2) Caterpillar
3) Squirrel

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4) What would happen to the snake population if the rabbit became extinct?

Answer: The snake population would decrease.

Explanation:
Snakes eat rabbits (as shown by arrow from rabbit to snake). If rabbits go extinct, snakes lose a major food source. This would lead to starvation and decline in snake population unless they can switch to other prey (like birds). But since the food web shows rabbits as a key prey, their loss would reduce snake numbers.

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5) Where does the owl get its energy from?

Answer: The owl gets its energy from eating other animals: birds, squirrels, and snakes.

Explanation:
Energy flows from lower trophic levels to higher ones. The owl is a carnivore and consumes:
- Birds (which eat caterpillars)
- Squirrels (which eat seeds/nuts)
- Snakes (which eat birds and rabbits)

So the owl gets energy indirectly from plants via the food chain, but directly from animal prey.

Answer: The owl gets energy from eating birds, squirrels, and snakes.

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6) Which of the following is a food chain shown in this web?

a) Plants → Bird → Snake → Owl
b) Plants → Rabbit → Snake → Owl
c) Plants → Caterpillar → Skunk → Owl
d) Plants → Caterpillar → Squirrel → Owl

Answer: b) Plants → Rabbit → Snake → Owl

Let’s analyze each:

a) Plants → Bird → Snake → Owl
- Plants → Bird? Yes (bird eats caterpillar, which eats plants, but bird doesn’t eat plants directly)
Wait — is there a direct link? No. Bird eats caterpillar, not plants. So this chain is invalid because bird doesn't eat plants.

b) Plants → Rabbit → Snake → Owl
- Rabbit eats plants ✔
- Snake eats rabbit ✔
- Owl eats snake ✔
→ Valid chain

c) Plants → Caterpillar → Skunk → Owl
- Plants → Caterpillar ✔
- Skunk eats caterpillar? Not shown. Skunk is shown eating seeds/nuts. No arrow from caterpillar to skunk. So invalid

d) Plants → Caterpillar → Squirrel → Owl
- Plants → Caterpillar ✔
- Squirrel eats caterpillar? No — squirrel eats seeds/nuts. No arrow from caterpillar to squirrel. So invalid

✔ Only b) is a valid food chain.

Answer: b) Plants → Rabbit → Snake → Owl

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7) What would happen to the plant population if the caterpillar population decreased?

Answer: The plant population would increase.

Explanation:
Caterpillars are herbivores that eat plants. If their population decreases, fewer plants are eaten, so more plants survive and grow. Therefore, plant population increases due to reduced predation.

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8) List the carnivores shown in this food web.

Answer:
- Owl
- Snake
- Bird

Explanation:
Carnivores eat meat (other animals).

- Owl → eats bird, squirrel, snake → carnivore
- Snake → eats bird, rabbit → carnivore
- Bird → eats caterpillar → carnivore
- Skunk → eats seeds and nuts, possibly insects — but not clearly shown as eating animals → likely omnivore, not strictly carnivore
- Squirrel, rabbit, caterpillar → herbivores
- Plants → producers

So carnivores: Owl, Snake, Bird

Answer:
- Owl
- Snake
- Bird

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✔ Final Answers:

1) c) Skunk
2) 1 (only the owl is apex predator)
3)
1) Rabbit
2) Caterpillar
3) Squirrel
4) The snake population would decrease.
5) The owl gets energy from eating birds, squirrels, and snakes.
6) b) Plants → Rabbit → Snake → Owl
7) The plant population would increase.
8) Carnivores: Owl, Snake, Bird

Let me know if you'd like a visual explanation or diagram breakdown!