Herrings: Clupeiformes

Most herrings eat plankton, or microscopic (MY-kro-SKA-pihk) plants and animals drifting in the water that are too small to be seen with the eye. Herrings prefer plankton that consists of crustaceans (krus-TAY-shuns), or water-dwelling animals that have jointed legs and a hard shell but no backbone, and the larvae (LAR-vee) of larger crustaceans and fishes. Larvae are the early stage of an animal that must change form before becoming an adult. Some herrings visually locate and target food particles.