Herbivores
Herbivores are animals that depend on plants for their primary source of food and energy to survive. These animals possess digestive systems with the presence of symbiotic bacteria that have evolved in time to digest huge amounts of plant material since often the high amounts of cellulose make it difficult for animals to digest. Their saliva also has carbohydrate digestive enzymes.
Herbivores can be classified further into fruit-eaters (frugivores), seed-eaters (granivores), nectar-eaters (nectivores), and leaf-eaters (folivores). Examples of herbivores can include goat, deer, koalas, some birds, caterpillars, crickets and more.
Carnivores are animals that depend on other animals for their primary source of food and energy. The word carnivore means “meat-eater” and has originated from Latin. These animals are very fast in nature since they have to catch their prey; they also have very sharp nails. There are no digestive enzymes present in their saliva and cannot detoxify vitamin A in the liver.
Carnivores can be either of the vertebrate or the invertebrate kind and can be classified into obligate carnivores (those animals completely dependent on other animals for food) and facultative carnivores (those animals that prey on aminals but also eat non-animal forms of food). Examples of carnivores are lions, tigers, wild cats, sharks, spiders and more.
Characteristics of Herbivores
They have varied features that make them the kind of animals that they are. These four most important characteristics of herbivores include:
Plant-Only Diet
Herbivores only feed on plants, often specific plant parts in some instances. While some of these animals, like cows and goats, have a diet that may include any green vegetation, other animals only consume special plants. For example, koala bears only feed on eucalyptus trees, and pandas feed only on bamboo.
Need a Lot of Energy for Survival
Herbivores have a high energy requirement, which, if not met, will create survival problems for them. Their bodies need to procure a certain amount of nutrients. For example, we often see cows grazing for the whole day.
Special Teeth
The teeth of herbivores are not as pointy as carnivores. Rather they have flat-molars that help them crush their food into chewable sizes. Herbivores depend on their premolars and molars for chewing on food, while their front teeth help them tear larger plants apart, by tugging into them.
However, not all herbivores have front teeth on their upper jaws; instead, they have tough pads that help them grab food along with the usage of the bottom sets of teeth.
Alkaline Saliva
Herbivores have alkaline saliva, which means their digestion process is slower as compared to carnivores who have acidic saliva and start digesting food as soon as it is ingested. Also, the plants’ herbivores feed on, go through a preparatory process that makes them easy to digest.
Herbivores have a couple of other special characteristics that largely vary from animal to animal. These are:
Certain herbivores can bring back food to the mouth that they have swallowed previously for chewing it again. This helps them in absorbing the nutrients completely from any kind of food that is hard to chew. Examples include cows and camels.
Some herbivores do not need to chew on their food at all. Their mouths are shaped in the form of a straw to help them suck nectar from flowers. Examples include moths and butterflies.
Sharp incisor-like front teeth are present in certain herbivores for them to gnaw and break down certain food items. Examples include squirrels chewing on nuts.
Examples of Herbivores
Examples of herbivores can range from a varied category of reptiles like tortoises and iguanas, insects like grasshoppers, moths, and butterflies, birds like parrots and geese, and animals like cows, goats, horses and more.
Characteristics of Carnivores
Carnivores share quite a few similarities regardless of the fact that they come in various sizes and are placed in various orders of the animal kingdom hierarchy. These are:
Most carnivores have their first lower molar and fourth upper premolar enlarged to enable these animals to tear off meat or tendons. These pairs of teeth are commonly known as the carnassial pair.
Animals like lions and tigers have equally powerful jaws that help them kill their prey easily.
Carnivores are very fast animals since they often have to chase and kill their prey.
These animals do not have the ability to detoxify vitamin A present in the liver.
Their possess acidic saliva that helps them digest food easily.
Carnivores have an intestine that is smaller in length.
Not all carnivores have sharp teeth; animals like certain frogs and even chameleons catch their prey using their long, sticky tongues.
While the size of their skulls can vary from one animal to another, their braincases are large.
Mating in carnivores can be monogamous, polygynous or polygynandrous.
Classification of Carnivores
Carnivores can be classified into the following:
Obligate Carnivores
Obligate carnivores are also commonly called “true carnivores” since their diet only includes other animal flesh. These carnivores can digest smaller plant matter, however, they cannot digest large amounts of plant matter since they do not have the physiology required to digest it.
Carnivores belonging to the cat family are obligate carnivores since they cannot obtain the necessary nutrients required from plants. These animals are not able to detoxify vitamin A since they do not have the enzyme required to split carotene. Instead, obligate carnivores depend on the liver of their prey to derive vitamin A.
Examples of obligate carnivores include, snakes, crocodiles, sharks, most spiders, cats, raptors and more.
Facultative Carnivores
Facultative carnivores are those animals that eat both animal flesh and other non-animal food that often includes certain plant matter. While these animals do not completely depend on a carnivorous diet, they thrive best on meat and often survive on a non-carnivorous diet.
Examples of facultative carnivores include dogs.
Examples of Carnivores
The most common examples of carnivores can include lions, tigers, leopards, cats, dogs, leopards, hyenas, jackals, cougars, weasels, ferrets, snakes, crocodiles and more.
Facts about Carnivores
Carnivores or meat-eaters come in multiple shapes and sizes and include some of the most feared animals on the planet. However, there are a couple of facts about carnivores that are often commonly unknown to people. Some of these are:
Carnivores can be divided into 15 basic families.
Not all carnivores eat meat.
These animals can only move their jaws up and down.
All carnivores are believed to have descended from a common ancestor.
Their digestive systems are fairly simple as compared to herbivores.
These animals are listed amongst the world’s fastest predators.
Carnivores communicate in a number of ways which include verbal- like barking or roaring or non-verbal, like body-language or scent.
FAQs on Herbivores and Carnivores
1. What are herbivores and carnivores as per their feeding habits?
Animals are classified based on their feeding habits. Herbivores are animals that get their energy and nutrients by eating only plants. Examples include cows, goats, and deer. Carnivores, on the other hand, are animals that feed on the flesh of other animals to get their nutrition. Lions, tigers, and sharks are examples of carnivores.
2. What are the main differences between herbivores and carnivores?
The main differences between herbivores and carnivores lie in their diet, teeth, and digestive systems. Here are the key distinctions:
- Diet: Herbivores have a diet consisting entirely of plants, leaves, fruits, and seeds. Carnivores have a diet consisting of the meat of other animals.
- Teeth: Herbivores possess wide, flat molars designed for grinding tough plant matter. Carnivores have sharp, pointed teeth, including long canines and carnassial teeth, for tearing flesh.
- Digestive System: Herbivores have long and complex digestive tracts, often with symbiotic bacteria to help break down tough cellulose from plants. Carnivores have shorter, simpler digestive tracts because meat is easier to digest.
3. Can you provide some examples of herbivorous and carnivorous animals?
Certainly. Here are some common examples for each category:
- Examples of Herbivores: Cow, Goat, Deer, Elephant, Horse, Rabbit, Koala, and Giraffe.
- Examples of Carnivores: Lion, Tiger, Shark, Wolf, Crocodile, Snake, and Eagle.
4. What are omnivores, and how do they differ from herbivores and carnivores?
Omnivores are animals that have a diet consisting of both plants and animal flesh. They possess a combination of teeth types, including sharp teeth for tearing meat and flat molars for grinding plants. This differs from herbivores, who only eat plants, and carnivores, who only eat meat. Common examples of omnivores include bears, humans, and pigs.
5. How are the teeth and digestive systems of herbivores adapted for a plant-based diet?
Herbivores have specific biological adaptations for their diet. Their teeth are primarily wide and flat, like molars and premolars, which are perfect for grinding down tough plant cellulose. They lack sharp canines. Their digestive system is typically very long and may contain special chambers, like the rumen in a cow. This extended system allows more time for digestion and often hosts symbiotic bacteria that produce enzymes capable of breaking down cellulose, which most animals cannot digest on their own.
6. Why do most carnivores have sharp claws and excellent senses of smell and sight?
These features are crucial adaptations for a predatory lifestyle. Sharp claws are used to catch, hold, and kill prey. A keen sense of smell helps carnivores track potential prey over long distances, while sharp eyesight is essential for spotting prey from afar and judging distance during a chase. Together, these traits make carnivores efficient hunters, which is necessary for their survival.
7. Is it possible for an animal to be a carnivore but also eat some plants?
Yes, this is possible. Carnivores are categorised based on their primary diet. Obligate carnivores, like cats and snakes, must eat meat to survive as they cannot obtain all necessary nutrients from plants. However, facultative carnivores, such as dogs and bears, are primarily meat-eaters but can also consume and digest non-animal food. While they thrive on a meat-based diet, they can survive on plant matter if necessary.
