A creature that gains sustenance from magical energies is a thamavore. Those of a linguistically stubborn bent argue that the word technically refers to a creature whose primary subsistence is these energies, but such sticklers lost that debate many gyres ago. While a carnivore is a creature that primarily eats meat, a thaumavore is a creature capable of ingesting magical energies. This trait is rare enough that there is no label for a creature that eats a mix of magic and other sources of nutrients such as vegetables or meats. The thaumavore label indicates an ability to consume magic, but does not imply the creature is incapable of eating in more typical fashions.
There are two main fields of thought as to the emergence of thaumavores. One group of scholars argue that such creatures are a natural occurrence that developed in the earliest era as an evolutionary response to abundant sources of magical energy. The other common opinion is that thaumavores are an artificial creation of magi, akin to a living thaumine, and therefore are a more recent occurrence. This side bases their opinions on thaumines that absorb magic to power their wondrous abilities. They are, in essence, inanimate thaumavores and an obvious steppingstone to animal thaumavores. Despite these two opinions having little-to-no overlap, the debate continues. It is problematic to prove the origins of thaumavores, as such creatures consume magic that targets them, making them especially difficult to locate with sensitivity.
A major question that arises in the study of thaumavores is: What do they do with the energy they consume? Scholars have discovered numerous answers that are grouped into two broad categories: sustenance thaumavores and empowered thaumavores.
The sustenance thaumavores require magical energies to survive. This is generally due to physical characteristics that cannot be supported by more common nutritional methods. For example, lindorms grow to such massive size that an adult lindorm would need to consume several tons of meat each rote for its basic energy needs. This is why lindorms are only found near the sites of magical apexes.
The other category, empowered thaumavores, use the energies to power fantastical abilities. Empowered thaumavores typically have other means of taking in nutrition, most commonly being carnivores or omnivores in addition to the thaumavore aspect, but this is not technically a requirement of the categorization. The woolly lion is an excellent example of an empowered thaumavore. The more energy they take in the stronger the creature becomes. A magus who foolishly targets a woolly lion with a working may find the creature’s strength enhanced to the point that it can bite through metal armor and leap dozens of feet.
Most thaumavores are animals, but it is possible for thaumines to have thaumavore characteristics in that they absorb magical energy to power their functions. Some incredibly complex workings are also said to be thaumavorous in that they consume energy from other workings. It should be noted that some plants are thaumavores. This is not unlike the method that plants use to get sustenance from the Eyes through chlorophyll. Rare, thaumavore plants have a similar gel-like internal substance that scholars call thaumaphyll. Its deep purple color gives the needles of thaumavore plants their distinctive violet shade. Many unwary magi have found themselves bereft of their abilities after straying too close to a field of thaumavore thistles.
Kristofor Loren Carlson 