What are omnivorous animals? Looking for examples of omnivorous animals ? Some mammals, birds, fish and reptiles are classified as such, due to their anatomical conditions and adaptation to the environment during the evolution of the species. In addition to this large group of animals, according to their diet, we distinguish between carnivorous animals and herbivorous animals. However, in this article on our site we will focus on explaining the definition of omnivorous animals and providing a list of omnivorous animals with images and curiosities unknown to many. Keep reading!
What are omnivorous animals?
An omnivorous animal is one that feeds on plants and other animals in its daily life. Your body is not adapted to eat meat or plants or vegetables exclusively, so your body is prepared to digest both one thing and the other. In fact, its jaw combines different types of teeth to chew both one kind of food and another. They have strong molars that give them plenty of room to chew like herbivores, and they also have canines that are perfectly shaped for tearing, a characteristic of carnivores.
Keep in mind that there are herbivores that occasionally eat meat and carnivores that sometimes feast on plants, but actually those animals would not be considered omnivores. For an animal to be omnivorous, it must have an animal and a plant as its main source of food on a regular basis in its daily diet.
Characteristics of omnivorous animals
Omnivorous animals are those that feed on products of both animal and plant origin, so we can say that the first characteristic that defines them is that they can adapt to practically any environment in terms of refers to food. Because their body is prepared to digest all kinds of food, they have the ability to survive in any environment Of course, for survival to be real, it is necessary take into account other factors such as the climate, the presence of predators, etc.
On the other hand, and as we said in the previous section, their teeth are another characteristic of omnivorous animals, since they are the result of combining the teeth of a carnivore (short incisors and shorter canines). long, curved and sharp for biting and tearing) with those of a herbivore (premolars and molars slightly sharp and flat for crushing and grinding).
Examples of omnivorous animals: mammals
Mammalian animals are those vertebrates whose embryos develop inside the mother, so they are within the viviparous group. Depending on the embryonic development, they are classified as placental, monotreme or marsupial, the majority being placental.
Not all mammals feed the same, so within this large group we also find omnivorous, herbivorous and carnivorous animals. Below is a list of the most common omnivorous mammalian animals:
Pork
It is probably the best-known omnivorous animal of all, in addition to the fact that we can see it in more and more houses because the pig has become a more than usual pet. As a curious fact, we can say that the pig is considered one of the most intelligent animals in the world, even above the dog and the cat, according to a study carried out by Donald M. Broom at Cambridge University.
Bear
The bear can be one of the most opportunistic animals that exist, since it adapts perfectly to the place where it lives. If there is a lot of fruit in its area, it will feed on it, and if in its area there is a river with many fish, you can see them fishing all day. So, believe it or not, the panda bear is also considered an omnivorous animal, as from time to time it loves to catch some rodent or small birds to spice up its usual bamboo diet. The only exception is the polar bear, which is carnivorous, but this is because in its natural habitat there are no vegetables for it to consume.
Sea urchin
Another animal that is increasingly becoming a regular companion. Many believe that the hedgehog should only be fed with insects and small invertebrates, but these little ones love to eat from time to time fruits and vegetablesOf course, if we give them to them, let it be in moderation. Enter the article "The diet of the African hedgehog" and find out everything.
Fox
Although many consider the fox to be a carnivorous animal, the truth is that it is an omnivorous animal, since it feeds on both small animals and fruits and other foods.
Dog
Is the dog a carnivore or an omnivore? Originally the dog was a carnivorous animal, however, with the arrival of domestication and evolution of the species, it has been adapting and there is currently a great debate and controversy around this issue. Thus, some experts[1] [2] support the theory that, although sometimes we find the dog classified as a carnivorous animal,biologically it is an omnivorous animal , since its body is prepared to digest other foods that are not of animal origin. On the other hand, other experts rely on the animal's teeth to confirm that it is still a carnivore that, from time to time, consumes vegetables and fruits. However, it should be noted that more and more researchers are opting for the theory that classifies the dog within omnivorous animals but slightly altering the terminology and calling it opportunistic omnivoreThis is so because, due to dentition and digestive system, it should be considered carnivorous, as we have already pointed out, however, due to its evolutionary process and the increase in opportunities to eat other foods, it is currently closer to being an omnivorous animal.
In any case, their diet should be based mainly on meat and fish, and to a lesser extent on fruits, vegetables and some cereals, among other products that they can consume. This is so because, in the wild, the dog would consume the percentage of fruits and vegetables that its body needs through its prey or even through the resources that nature itself offers if it feels a nutritional deficiency in its body or is hungry..
Human being
Yes, I remind you that we are animals! We are known for following an omnivorous diet and, in the case of people who decide to eliminate animal meat, it should be noted that they are not called herbivores, but rather vegetarians or vegans.
Other omnivorous mammals
In addition to these four, which are the best known, other mammalian omnivores include the following:
- Coati
- Some raccoons
- Mouse
- Rat
- Squirrel
- Skunk
- Armadillo
- Chimpanzee
- Jablí
- Gerbil
- Opossum
Examples of omnivorous animals: birds
Birds are animals that don't have teeth, so their digestive system is fully adapted to be able to digest practically whole foods. To do this, your esophagus has a dilation called crop that allows the storage of food before being digested. On the other hand, they have the so-called gizzard, belonging to the stomach, which is responsible for grinding the food with the help of its strong muscles and the small stones (gastroliths) that the birds themselves ingest for this purpose. In this way, we also find carnivorous birds, frugivorous birds, granivorous birds and omnivorous birds, such as the examples of omnivorous animals in the list that we show below:
Raven
If we said that the bear is opportunistic, the raven far exceeds it. As you may have seen in numerous movies, they are always prowling around in search of the remains of dead animals, but in addition to that they also get used to eating vegetables if there is no such food source around them.
Chicken
Chickens are the opposite of animals, they eat everything, everything, everything. Whatever you throw at it, the hen will not disgust it and will take it to the crop without hesitating for a single second. Of course, even if the opposite is believed, giving him bread is not beneficial because he lays fewer eggs.
Ostrich
Although the main basis of their diet is usually vegetables and plants, ostriches love insects and each whenever they can they take one to their stomach.
Magpie
These beautiful birds also eat everything. So much so, that in their diet we can find other smaller birds, insects, rodents, eggs, seeds or fruits, among other foods.
Other omnivorous birds
- Seagull
- Sparrow
- Duck
- Partridge
- Toucan
- Peacock
- Swan
- Cockatoo
- Goose
- Blackbird
- Pigeon
- Pheasant
- Flemish
- Woodpecker
- Turkey
- Robin
Examples of omnivorous animals: fish and reptiles
In addition to mammals and birds, among reptiles and fish we also find omnivorous animals such as piranhas or some kinds of turtles.
Piranha
Surely you thought that the piranha was a purely carnivorous animal due to the fame that the cinema has given to these peculiar animals. Well, the truth is that the piranha feeds on other fish, insects and even pieces of raw meat if we throw it at it, but we can also find it in its die
ta fruits, plants or seeds. Since the total number of piranha species is still unknown today, we cannot confirm that all of them are omnivores, since some carnivores have been discovered, such as the red-bellied piranha, which despite being able to eat sporadically fruits, seeds or plants, the basis of their diet is other animals.
Other examples of omnivorous fish
- Cod
- Tent
- Brunette
- Surgeonfish
- Blowfish
- Clownfish
- Guppy fish
- Tilapia
Turtles
Some Sea and land turtles are omnivorous animals, since they feed on both small animals and products of plant origin. In the case of the marine ones, the crustaceans, smaller fish, molluscs and algae stand out; the terrestrial ones, on the other hand, like fruits, insects, small birds and mammals, worms and some vegetables.
Examples of omnivorous turtles are the Chinese tortoise, the red-footed tortoise or the painted turtle.
Other examples of omnivorous reptiles
- Ocellated Lizard
- Saharan spiny-tailed lizard
- Balearic Lizard
