Examples of herbivores embody hooved animals equivalent to antelopes, bison, deer, horses, zebras, hippos, rhinos and tapirs. Different forms of herbivorous animals embody kangaroos, the koala, fruit bats, rabbits, hares, tortoises, the inexperienced iguana and big panda.
On this web page is an inventory of herbivorous animals with photos and attention-grabbing information. Learn on to find a few of the world’s most superb plant-eaters…
Use the index under to search out info on a specific animal, or proceed scrolling to browse the entire animals on the checklist.
Herbivores Examples
Herbivorous Animals
Herbivores are animals whose diets encompass plant materials. Herbivores have quite a few diversifications for this way of life, together with: specialised tooth for reducing and grinding powerful plant materials; digestive techniques developed to interrupt down plant materials; and gradual metabolisms as a result of low power content material of meals equivalent to leaves and grass.
Ungulates
Most of the herbivorous animals within the checklist under are ungulates. An ungulate is hooved mammal belonging to one in all both two orders: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates) or Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates).
(Though whales and dolphins don’t have hooves, they’re descended from animals that did, and are due to this fact thought of to be ungulates.)
Most ungulates are herbivores. Their stomachs comprise particular micro organism for breaking down cellulose, a fabric discovered within the cell partitions of plant cells.
Ruminants
Ruminants are a bunch of herbivorous even-toed ungulates which have developed a specialised digestive system for acquiring vitamins from vegetation.
The stomachs of ruminants have 4 compartments. Throughout the first two compartments, the meals is damaged down right into a mushy materials often called cud utilizing a course of often called fermentation.
The cud is regurgitated and chewed, additional breaking down the meals prepared for digestion within the animal’s third and fourth stomachs. Examples of ruminants embody antelopes, cattle, sheep, goats, deer and giraffes.
Examples Of Herbivores
Antelopes
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates)
- Household: Bovidae
- The place discovered: Africa, Asia
Antelopes are quick, nimble, hoofed mammals.
Almost the entire 91 antelope species are present in Africa, with the others being present in Asia. Properly-known forms of antelope embody springbok, gazelles, duikers , elands, oryxes and kudus.
Each the women and men of most antelope species have horns, though these of the male are normally longer. Not like a deer’s antlers, that are shed yearly, an antelope’s horns develop repeatedly all through its lifetime.
Antelopes are herbivorous animals that dwell in herds. Most antelopes dwell in savannas, though some species are present in woodlands, forests, and even deserts.
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Beavers
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Castoridae
- The place discovered: North America, Europe
- Conservation standing: Least Concern
Beavers are giant rodents with distinctive, paddle-like tails. There are two species of beaver: the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), which lives in the US and Canada, and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), which is discovered all through a lot of Northern Europe.
The conservation standing of each species of beaver is “Least Concern”.
Beavers assemble dams by felling bushes with their sharp tooth. The ensuing pond not solely supplies the beavers with safety from predators, but additionally creates a wetland ecosystem wherein different species can dwell.
Each species of beaver eat bark, aquatic vegetation, grasses and different vegetation.
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Bison
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates)
- Household: Bovidae
- The place discovered: North America, Europe
Bison are giant, highly effective hooved animals that dwell in herds. There are two species of bison: the American bison (Bison bison), present in grasslands in Canada, the USA and Mexico; and the European bison (Bison bonasus), present in scattered areas in Europe.
Each bison species have the conservation standing “Close to Threatened”.
The American bison is also called the buffalo, however isn’t intently associated to “true” buffalo such because the African buffalo and water buffalo (each of that are additionally herbivores).
The European bison (Bison bonasus) was hunted to extinction within the wild, and has since been reintroduced in a number of areas in Europe. At present, the bison populations of a number of European nations, together with Poland, Russia and Belarus, quantity over 1,000 people.
Bison eat grasses, sedges, and quite a lot of different plant matter.
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Deer
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Cervidae
Deer are hooved, herbivorous mammals belonging to the household Cervidae. Male deer have antlers, which differ from the everlasting horns of animals equivalent to antelopes in that they’re grown and shed annually of the animal’s grownup life. The one feminine deer species to have antlers is the reindeer.
Deer are discovered on each continent besides Antarctica and Australia. The biggest residing deer is the moose, which lives within the taiga / boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
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Elephants
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Elephantidae
- The place discovered: Africa, Asia
There are three species of elephant. From largest to smallest, they’re the: African bush elephant, Asian elephant, and African forest elephant. All three elephants are herbivorous, consuming grasses, bushes and shrubs.
The African bush elephant is the largest residing land animal. Each it and the African forest elephant are present in Africa. The Asian elephant, as its identify suggests, is present in Asia.
The conservation standing and scientific identify of every elephant species is given under:
- African bush elephant Loxodonta Africana Endangered
- African forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis Critically Endangered
- Asian elephant Elephas maximus Endangered
Each of the African elephants have giant ears and deeply wrinkled pores and skin. The Asian elephant has smaller ears and smoother pores and skin than the African species. The pores and skin of the Asian elephant can have a patchy look, in contrast to the plain gray colour of the African species.
Probably the most distinctive function of elephants is the trunk. The trunk is an extension of the elephant’s joined nostril and higher lip. It’s used to convey meals and water to the elephant’s mouth, and to understand and manipulate different objects.
Tusks, that are prolonged incisor tooth, are discovered on each female and male African elephants, however solely on male Asian elephants. (Sometimes, feminine Asian elephants have very small tusks.)
An elephant’s tusks are used each as weapons and as instruments for digging and shifting objects.
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Large Panda
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Scientific Title: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
- Conservation Standing: Weak
The large panda, or panda, is a species of bear present in China. Not like different bears, most of that are omnivores, the panda is nearly totally herbivorous. 99% of its eating regimen consists of bamboo.
The panda’s highly effective jaw muscle groups, that are wanted to deal with the powerful bamboo stalks, give its face a rounded form. The panda additionally has particular thumb-like bones in its paws for holding bamboo.
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Giraffe
- Scientific identify: Giraffa camelopardalis
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates)
- Household: Giraffidae
- The place discovered: Africa
- Conservation standing: Weak
The giraffe is the world’s tallest animal, reaching heights of as much as 5.7 m (18.7 ft). The long-necked herbivore’s top permits it to succeed in foliage inaccessible to smaller animals.
Every of the 9 subspecies (varieties) of giraffe is present in a separate area in Africa.
The giraffe’s closest relative (and the one different species within the household Giraffidae), is the okapi, one other herbivore. Each the giraffe and the okapi have small horns often called ossicones.
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Grass Carp
- Kind of animal: Fish
- Scientific identify: Ctenopharyngodon Idella
- Household: Cyprinidae
- Conservation standing: Least Concern
The grass carp is a member of the carp household, Cyprinidae present in cloudy freshwater habitats in Asia. It’s a cumbersome, highly effective fish that may attain lengths of as much as 2 m / 6.56 ft.
The grass carp is usually herbivorous, with aquatic vegetation forming the majority of its eating regimen. The fish may even eat bugs and different invertebrates, that means that strictly talking, it’s an omnivore.
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Grasshoppers
- Kind of animal: Insect, suborder Caelifera
Grasshoppers are a bunch of herbivorous bugs discovered on each continent besides Antarctica. Their lengthy hind legs are an adaptation for leaping. Sometimes, sure grasshopper species type giant swarms. Swarming grasshoppers are often called locusts.
Locust swarms, which might comprise thousands and thousands, typically trillions, of people, may cause intensive harm to crops.
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Inexperienced Iguana
- Scientific identify: Iguana iguana
- Kind of animal: Reptile
- Household: Iguanidae
- The place discovered: North America, South America
- Conservation standing: Least Concern
The inexperienced iguana is a big lizard that lives in forests in Central and South America. The species is usually known as the iguana, with its full identify getting used to differentiate it from different species within the iguana household, Iguanidae.
Regardless of its measurement (the species can attain lengths in extra of two m / 6.56 ft.) and fearsome seems to be, the inexperienced iguana is principally herbivorous. It’s an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, however can be a superb swimmer. If threatened, it should usually dive into a close-by physique of water.
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Hippopotamus
- Scientific identify: Hippopotamus amphibius
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates)
- Household: Hippopotamidae
The hippopotamus, or hippo, is likely one of the largest residing land animals; solely the elephants and rhinoceroses (each of that are additionally herbivores) are greater.
The hippo has a semi-aquatic way of life, spending many of the day within the water, and solely rising within the night to feed. Though hippos are herbivores, attributable to their measurement and aggressive nature they’re amongst Africa’s most harmful animals.
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Hoatzin
- Scientific identify: Opisthocomus hoazin
- Kind of animal: Chicken
- Household: Opisthocomidae
The hoatzin is a big herbivorous chook present in South America’s Amazon Rainforest. It has grey plumage, with a featherless blue face and a particular orange crest on its head.
The hoatzin is exclusive amongst birds in two methods. The primary is that its digestive system breaks down vegetation by fermentation, in a lot the identical manner as cattle.
(The hoatzin is also called the “stink chook” on behalf of the scent given off by the rotting vegetation in its crop.)
The second is that hoatzin chicks have two claws on every of their wings. These permit the chick to climb earlier than it may fly.
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Horse
- Scientific identify: Equus ferus caballus
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Perissodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates)
- Household: Equidae
The horse is a domesticated subspecies of untamed horse. Wild horses are thought to have developed in North America, earlier than migrating to Europe whereas the continents have been joined by the Bering Land Bridge.
Wild horses have been first domesticated round 6,000 years in the past. In addition to getting used as transport, horses have additionally been utilized in farming, warfare and in quite a lot of different roles.
The one different residing wild horse subspecies is Przewalski’s horse, an endangered species present in Asia.
Horses are herbivorous grazing animals. Though horses aren’t ruminants, they can break down the cellulose present in grass (in contrast to people).
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Kangaroos
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Macropodidae
Kangaroos are marsupials: mammals whose younger develop in a pouch within the physique of the feminine.
There are 4 species of kangaroo: purple kangaroo, japanese gray kangaroo, western gray kangaroo, and antilopine kangaroo.
All 4 kangaroos are herbivores, consuming grasses and shrubs. Though kangaroos aren’t ruminants, they often produce cud, which is chewed and re-digested.
Kangaroos are the most important species within the household Macropodidae, which suggests “giant foot”. The entire different residing members of this household, together with wallabies and the quokka, are herbivores.
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Koala
- Scientific identify: Phascolarctos cinereus
- Kind of animal: Mammal (marsupial)
- Household: Phascolarctidae
- Conservation standing: Weak
The koala is a marsupial (pouched mammal) discovered solely in Australia. The eating regimen of this well-known herbivore consists nearly totally of eucalyptus leaves.
The leaves comprise little or no power, and because of this, the koala tends to not transfer very quick or very far, and may sleep for as much as 20 hours per day!
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Backyard Snail
- Scientific identify: Phascolarctos cinereus
- Kind of animal: Mollusk
- Household: Helicidae
- Conservation standing: Least Concern
The backyard snail is a gastropod mollusk discovered all through Europe. Like most land snails, the species is principally herbivorous, feeding on fruit, flowers and the leaves of bushes, crops, and different vegetation. It eats by scraping meals off through the use of a tongue-like, tooth-covered organ often called a radula.
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Manatees
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Trichechidae
Manatees are giant, slow-moving, aquatic mammals also called “sea cows” attributable to their cow-like look and grazing conduct.
There are three species of manatee: the West Indian manatee, West African manatee and Amazonian manatee.
The Amazonian manatee is the smallest species, and the one manatee discovered solely in freshwater habitats (the others are capable of inhabit freshwater and saltwater habitats).
All manatees (and the closely-related dugong, discovered off the coasts of Australia and elements of Asia and Africa) are herbivores. Manatees feed on quite a lot of aquatic vegetation, and eat as much as 15% of their very own physique weight every day.
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Megabats
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Pteropodidae
Megabats are bats belonging to the household Pteropodidae. Members of this group of flying mammals are also called “fruit bats” on account of their primarily fructivorous (fruit-based) eating regimen. Some megabats are nectarivorous (nectar-eating).
Most megabats don’t use echolocation, in contrast to their cousins the microbats, whose echolocation helps them hunt bugs.
The wingspans of huge megabats, such because the Indian flying fox, will be as giant as 1.5 m / 4.92 ft.
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Parrots
- Kind of animal: Chicken
- Order: Psittaciformes
There are 370 parrot species. Collectively, these birds make up the order Psittaciformes. Parrots are comparatively giant birds, with robust, curved payments, and infrequently colourful plumage.
A parrot’s foot has 4 claws, the interior two of which face forwards, the outer pair going through backwards. Any such foot is seen in a number of different tree-living birds, together with woodpeckers.
Parrots used their highly effective hooked payments to take away the husk of seeds, which type the majority of their eating regimen. Parrots may even eat fruit, nectar, and different plant matter. Though primarily herbivorous, parrots could often eat bugs.
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Parrotfishes
- Kind of animal: Fish
- Household: Scaridae
Parrotfishes are a household of fish comprising round 90 species. They’re known as parrotfish on behalf of their parrot-like beaks, with which the herbivorous fish scrape algae from rocks. (Some bigger parrotfish are omnivores, preying on dwell coral in addition to plant matter.)
Most parrotfish dwell on coral reefs in tropical areas. Some species secrete a mucous cocoon from their mouths, which supplies safety whereas the fish is sleeping.
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Rabbits
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Leporidae
Along with hares (that are additionally herbivorous) rabbits make up the household Leprodidae.
Rabbits feed on grass, herbs, and different vegetation. Some rabbits will eat their very own droppings, digesting their plant meals twice for optimum dietary worth. (Don’t do this at residence.)
There are round 40 species of rabbit. Rabbits differ from the closely-related hares by residing socially in burrows often called warrens. (Hares are much less social, and shelter in shallow holes often called types.
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Rhinoceros
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Perissodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates)
- Household: Rhinocerotidae
The phrase “rhinoceros” means “nose-horned”, and refers back to the distinctive horn (or horns) on a rhino’s nostril. Two the 5 species of rhino – the Indian rhino and Javan rhino – have a single horn; the opposite three species – the white rhino, black rhino and Sumatran rhino, have two horns.
Each the white rhino and the black rhino are present in Africa; the three different species are present in Asia.
All 5 species of rhino are threatened. The black, Javan and Sumatran rhinos are all critically endangered. That is due primarily to poaching – the rhinos’ horns are a beneficial ingredient in conventional japanese drugs.
All 5 rhino species are herbivores.
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Sloths (Three-Toed)
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Household: Bradypodidae
- Genus: Bradypus
The six species of sloth are divided into two teams: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. There are two species of two-toed sloth and 4 species of three-toed sloth.
The members of every group are differentiated by the variety of toes on their forelimbs; all sloths have three toes on their hindlimbs.
Two-toed sloths are bigger and faster-moving than three-toed sloths, and are omnivores somewhat than herbivores.
Three-toed sloths are folivores – their herbivorous eating regimen consists nearly totally of leaves. As a result of leaves comprise comparatively little power and are tough to interrupt down, three-toed sloths have one of many longest digestive processes of all animals.
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Tapirs
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Perissodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates)
- Household: Tapiridae
Tapirs are giant, pig-like animals with versatile, prehensile noses. There are 5 species of tapir: Brazilian tapir, Malayan tapir, Baird’s tapir, kabomani tapir, and mountain tapir.
The Malayan tapir, which is present in Asia, is the one tapir discovered outdoors of both Central or South America. All tapirs dwell in forest habitats.
The Brazilian, or South American Tapir, is the most important land mammal discovered within the Amazon Rainforest.
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Tortoises
- Kind of animal: Reptile
- Household: Testudinidae
Tortoises are slow-moving reptiles with shells. The identify “tortoise” normally refers to family members Testudinidae, however also can embody different land-dwelling turtles.
All turtles (together with tortoises) belong to the reptilian order Testudines.
Tortoises are the world’s longest-lived land animals; the lifespan of some species will be over 150 years.
A tortoise hatches from its egg with assistance from a particular egg tooth. After hatching, tortoises must fend for themselves; their mother and father play no half within the elevating of their infants.
Tortoises have an nearly solely herbivorous eating regimen, though invertebrates could often be consumed.
There are round 45 species of tortoise. The three largest tortoise species are, from largest to smallest: the Galápagos tortoise, the Aldabra big tortoise and the African spurred tortoise.
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Zebras
- Kind of animal: Mammal
- Order: Perissodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates)
- Household: Equidae
Zebras are members of the horse household Equidae. Like the opposite family members, zebras are herbivores. Grazing animals, zebras are geared up with giant incisors (the big tooth on the entrance of the jaw) for reducing grass, and tough molars for grinding up the powerful plant materials.
There are three species of zebra: plains zebra, mountain zebra and the endangered Grévy’s zebra.
All three zebras are present in Africa. The plains zebra is the commonest and widespread zebra; Grévy’s zebra isn’t solely the most important zebra, but additionally the world’s largest wild horse species. The mountain zebra is present in mountainous terrain in southeastern Africa.
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