List of herbivorous animals
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This is a list of herbivorous animals. Herbivores are animals that eat plants. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which a heterotrophic organism consumes other organisms, principally autotrophs[1][page needed] such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in general are known as 1st level consumers.
Mammals (formally Mammalia) are a class of vertebrate, air-breathing animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by hair and/or fur, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain. Some mammals have sweat glands, but most do not. Some mammals are herbivorous, and some are not. Herbivorous mammals include:
- American bison
- European bison
- African buffalo
- Cattle
- Tamaraw
- Saola
- Wisent
- Yak
- Kouprey
- Giant eland
- Gazelles
- Mountain goat
- Goats
- Sheep
- Chinkara
- Deer
Other
Squamata (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards)
- Uromastyx (spiny-tailed lizards) (primarily herbivorous, but occasionally eat insects and other small animals, especially young lizards)
- Solomon Islands skink
- Iguanas (mostly herbivorous)
Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises)
- Tortoises (most land-based species)
Birds (class: Aves) are winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most varied of tetrapod vertebrates. Some birds are herbivorous, and some are not.
Some extant Lissamphibians display semi-herbivorous habits:
Other invertebrates
- Garden snails and slugs
- Earthworms are detrivores
See also
References
- ^ Campbell, N. A. (1996) Biology (4th edition) Benjamin Cummings, New York ISBN 0-8053-1957-3
- ^ Discovering Dinosaurs. Curriculum Corporation, 2003 ISBN 1876973064. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ^ Hill, R. L., Mendelson, J. R. & Stabile, J. L. 2015. Direct observation and review of herbivory in Sirenidae (Amphibia: Caudata). Southeastern Naturalist 14, N5-N9.