Examples of animals that eat plants
Those animals that eat plants or plant, they are called herbivores. In some cases, your body is prepared to feed only on herbs and plants, but this is not always the case.
In this article we will detail a series of animals that include plants in their diet, but in some cases also include other things in their meals. These animals are called omnivores, since although they like to eat plants , they also eat insects , meat or other things, according to the species and the environment in which they are found.
20 Animals That Eat Plants
Next, we will detail twenty animals that include plants in their diets . Most of the animals mentioned base their diet on plants and what they produce, such as fruits and leaves.
- Squirrel: It is a sciuromorphic rodent of the Sciuridae family, which eats seeds and nuts . His favorite foods are acorns, pecans, pineapples, walnuts, and pine nuts. However, young plants and herbs are also palatable, so they select from them the shoots, leaves, roots, stems and some flowers to eat.
- Bison : Bison’s diet differs according to their place of origin. The American bison tends to eat short grasses from prairies and grasses. For its part, the European bison must base its diet on the food that it can get in coniferous forests, such as the tender branches of ash, moss, bark, fruits, lines and all kinds of grass that it can get. However, what is common in both types of bison is that both need strong hydration more than food. Therefore, the place where they settle must have a guaranteed source of water in order to survive.
- Buffalo : It is an artiodactyl mammal of the Bovidae family that feeds on flat areas and meadows. Its diet includes grass, herbs, leaves and all kinds of branches, making it a herbivorous animal . This animal can be domesticated, although they are also found in the jungle.
- Kangaroo : These animals usually eat in herds, as that allows them to protect themselves from predators. They are herbivores, so their diet is based mainly on herbs, although they also like to eat vegetables and leaves. Everything they eat they chew very well and have a technique to pluck their favorite food, herbs, using the incisors above.
- Swan : These birds are known for their strong aggressiveness, despite their great beauty. We also include them in the list, since they usually eat the plants of the ponds. However, this is not the only food on which they base their diet, but they also eat small frogs and insects.
- Dromedaries : Dromedaries are Arabian camels. These mammals have a diet rich in salt, so they eat desert plants and grass, which identifies them as herbivorous animals. What is surprising about them is their great capacity to produce energy in the desert, allowing them to travel miles in search of food.
- Elephant : This giant animal is herbivorous, so it only includes the herbs, roots, leaves, bark of certain shrubs and trees in its diet. However, being large in size, you need to consume in large quantities to obtain the necessary nutrients to survive. That is why they are seen eating at all times, since they need to do it continuously for 15 hours, until they reach 150Kg of plants for their daily consumption.
- Pheasant : This beautiful bird not only eats plant matter, but its diet also includes animal matter, such as lizards, small mammals, snakes and small birds. Although they also eat seeds, leaves and fruits.
- Gazelle : They are animals that live in herds and base their diet on herbs, plants, leaves and bushes, being then herbivorous animals. However, there are species that also eat insects, grasshoppers, and larvae.
- Cricket : It is not possible to speak of a specific diet in these insects, as they are very opportunistic in their way of eating, since they depend on what they find in their path. But they have been seen eating plants, although they have also eaten other animals, carrion and have even practiced cannibalism when they cannot get other types of food.
- Hamsters : These rodents are very popular as pets and also consume some types of plants. However, their preferred food is seeds and grains. In some cases they have also been seen eating insects .
- Wild boar : They eat vegetables and animals, although the latter are not their preference. Its usual foods are vegetables, roots, seeds, fruits, leaves, barks, rhizomes, berries and branches. And their secondary food is rodents, frogs, eggs of other animals, fish, worms, carrion left by other predators, snakes and crabs.
- Giraffe : They are one of the tallest animals in existence, so they eat abundantly. They usually eat from the top of the trees, such as leaves and branches, but they also like to eat grass.
- Koala : This curious animal eats the fibrous leaves of the eucalyptus, a plant that contains toxic molecules, making it inedible for any other living being.
- Parrot : They usually eat vegetables, fruits and seeds in their natural habitat. Her favorite foods are birdseed, sunflower, sesame, oatmeal, and millet. In addition, they have the ability to select the food that they like best and discard the rest.
- Spider monkey: This primate gets its food in the middle of tropical nature , its favorite food is fruits and seeds, but it also eats wood, bark and leaves.
- Wildebeest : Wildebeest are mammals that eat plants, nuts, seeds, leaves, and roots. Although they have also been seen hunting small animals, such as caterpillars and other insects.
- Pandas : These animals eat bamboo at different times of the year, but the funny thing is that, although they love to eat it, bamboo is the main protagonist in the death rate of pandas, since in winter they have problems to survive, due to to the low nutrients of the bamboo wood.
- Sloth : These animals are considered folivorous, since they only eat the leaves, twigs and shoots of more than 30 species of different trees and lianas.
- Rhinoceros : Their diet is based on the soft and nutritious parts of plants. Like elephants, rhinos are herbivorous animals that must consume high levels of plant matter in order to survive.
More Examples of animals that eat plants
In addition to the animals that we previously detailed, there are more animals that eat plants around the world. Here are some of them:
- I raised
- Alpaca
- Antelope
- Catfish
- Pronghorn
- Donkey
- Camel
- Horse
- Goat
- Calender
- Beaver
- Zebra
- Zebu
- Pig
- Canary
- Chinchilla
- Deer
- Guinea pig
- Woodlouse
- Quail
- Hummingbird
- Rabbit
- Whose
- Fir beetle
- Chicken
- Goose
- Weevil
- Plant gorupos
- Macaw
- Hippos
- Ibex
- Iguana
- Impala
- Goldfinch
- Lemur
- Hare
- Dormouse
- Call
- Macaque
- Butterfly
- Fruit bat
- Shrew
- Okapi
- Orangutan
- Caterpillar
- Sheep
- dove
- Parrot
- Duck
- Turkey
- Parakeet
- Barbel fish
- Pearl Butterfly Fish
- Pleco fish
- Catfish Fish
- Pudu
- Rats
- Mouse
- Reindeer
- Tapir
- Marmoset
- Vole
- Turtle
- Cow
- deer
- Vicuña
- Opossum