Animals can be classified based on the food they eat. Animals that are plant eaters are called herbivores, meat-eaters are carnivores, and animals who eat both plants and meat are called omnivores.
Key Facts & Information
Herbivores
- Animals that eat only plants and plant products are called herbivores.
- They are referred to as the primary consumers.
- Herbivores are usually at the second level of the energy pyramid.
- The energy that herbivores need is high, so they are usually busy feeding themselves because they cannot survive without sufficient energy.
- They use several defenses to protect themselves from their enemies.
- Some have shells, poisons that they release from their body, and camouflage abilities.
- Herbivores come in various sizes, and the world’s largest herbivore is the African elephant.
Types of Herbivores
- Herbivores can either eat various plants or just one type of plant.
- Herbivores such as fruit bats and flying foxes that consume only fruits are called frugivores.
- Folivores are herbivores that mostly eat leaves.
- Detritivores are those that eat dead plant materials only.
- Herbivores that consume seeds are called granivores.
- Nectar-eating herbivores are called nectarivores.
- Xylophages are herbivores that eat wood.
- Grazers are herbivores who depend on grass.
- Two ways herbivores digest their food are through foregut fermentation and hindgut fermentation.
- Animals with multiple chambers digest their food through foregut fermentation, while animals with single-chambered stomachs process their food through hindgut fermentation.
- Herbivores such as cows and kangaroos are foregut fermenters, while horses and elephants fall under the hindgut fermenters.
Carnivores
- Carnivores are animals that consume meat or animal flesh.
- They hunt their prey to survive, and they are also referred to as predators.
- Carnivores that consume herbivores are secondary consumers and are usually placed third in the energy pyramid.
- Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers and are at the fourth level of the energy pyramid.
- Their bodies and characteristics are suitable for hunting.
- However, some carnivores do not hunt and depend on dead or decaying animals for food.
- These animals are called scavengers.
- Carnivores who can only consume meat to survive are called obligate carnivores and they cannot digest plants properly.
- An example of an animal under this category is a lion.
- There are three distinctions of carnivores based on the meat that they eat.
- Hypercarnivores have a 70 percent meat diet.
- The rest of their energy is covered by consuming plants, fungi, and other nutrients.
- All obligate carnivores are considered hypercarnivores.
- Carnivores that consume 50 percent meat on their diet are called mesocarnivores.
- To fill their energy, they can consume fungi, fruits, and vegetables.
- Carnivores who consume less than 30 percent of meat are called hypocarnivores.
- They also consume fish, berries, nuts, roots, and bulbs.
- Some hypocarnivores are also considered omnivores, and the most common example is a bear.
Omnivores
- Omnivores are animals who consume both plants and animals.
- Although they eat plants, they cannot eat all types of them.
- Omnivores are animals who consume both plants and animals.
- Although they eat plants, they cannot eat all types of them.
- Humans are also considered omnivores.
- Omnivores are very adaptable in finding food in different places.
- Some omnivores are also scavengers.
- Like carnivores, omnivores are called secondary consumers.
- They are also in the third trophic level in the energy pyramid.
- Omnivores are believed to have better chances of living due to their diet.
