What is the act of grasping and gathering food into the mouth called?

The correct answer is prehension. Prehension is the term specifically used to describe the act of grasping or gathering food into the mouth, which is a crucial first step in the process of eating for many animals. It encompasses the actions involved in taking food and bringing it to the mouth, whether it involves the use of the mouth itself, manipulative limbs, or other body parts designed to facilitate this action.

Ingesting food follows prehension and refers to the actual intake of food into the digestive tract. Digestion, on the other hand, refers to the breakdown of food into smaller components that can be absorbed by the body, while absorption is the process by which the nutrients from digested food are taken up into the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Thus, while these terms are all related to the overall process of eating and processing food, prehension uniquely identifies the initial act of gathering food.