What type of organism eats itself? And no, you don't.?

Question

Name an organism that eats itself - in other words one that doesn't live off of other organisms, one that can create itself. One that regenerates and reproduces by itself and can sustain its own self. Or is everything on the planet parasitic in nature?

Answer 1

No, most stuff isn't parasitic--parasitism is a specific condition where an organism uses another for food/shelter/whatever but it's harmful to the host organism.  Think a lamprey, mistletoe, something like that.

Eating isn't parasitic on its own.

If everything's in balance, then eating serves a purpose--like, say, an apple tree.  The tree is pollinated and makes seeds to ensure its reproduction.  But to get those seeds to move away from the parent, it puts the seeds in an apple, which is eaten by a person who then throws the core off to the side.

The seeds move, the person eats...both the tree and the person benefit.

So it's not a parasitic relationship--it's mutually beneficial.

As far as something sustaining itself, the only creature I've ever heard of like that is an ourobouros, a mystical snake that eats its own tail.

But accounts vary as to whether this "hoop snake" actually exists outside the realm of tattoo shops and folklore books.

Answer 2

They're called autotrophs, and they range from algae to plants.