Food is a vital aspect within the animal world, since the subsistence of the various species that inhabit ecosystems depends on it. Depending on the type of diet an animal eats, it can be considered a carnivore, herbivore, omnivore or detritivore, although there are other more specific classifications depending on the particular food consumed by the species.
In this article on our site we will focus on explaining what herbivorous animals are, the types that exist, what they feed on and We will share some concrete examples. Join us to continue reading.
What are herbivorous animals?
Herbivorous animals, also called phytophagous, are those that base their diet on exclusively vegetable matter, for which they are adapted both anatomically as well as physiologically, so that they can process these foods and obtain the necessary nutrients for their body.
Depending on the type of herbivorous animal, they can consume different parts or products of plants. Some do not discriminate which plant organs are eaten, while others are selective in this regard.
In general, herbivorous animals are gregarious, that is, they live in groups, and are considered as prey of carnivorous animals. For this reason, the position of their eyes is usually very lateralized (one on each side) to be able to see who is chasing them without having to turn their heads. In addition, they tend to be more skittish and elusive animals.
Classification of herbivorous animals
Herbivores can be classified according to the type of digestion they develop to digest or process the plant foods they consume. In this sense, we distinguish two types of herbivorous animals:
- Monogastrics: are those herbivorous animals in which the stomach is not divided into chambersor compartments, and process plant cellulose to obtain essential fatty acids, amino acids, and proteins from specialized microorganisms that primarily carry out a process known as fermentation.
- Polygastric: also known as ruminants, their stomach is divided into several chambersor parts known as the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. They also have anaerobic bacteria and protozoa that carry out fermentation in this complex digestive system.
Although monogastric herbivorous animals digest vegetable fibers less efficiently than polygastric animals, this does not prevent them from adequately processing this type of food and obtaining essential nutrients, which they eventually overcome by increasing the consumption of vegetable matter.
How is the digestion of herbivorous animals?
The digestive system of herbivores is not the same for everyone, as we have already seen. Within the group of herbivorous animals we find different ways of processing food, since they have specialized both in the way they eat and in the processing or digestion of food. Thus, in principle we can mention that the herbivorous vertebrates, for example, have thick teeth, especially the molars, which are quite developed to break down plant matter, in fact, it is the first step to start digestion.
Ruminant Digestion
Ruminants have developed salivary glands that excrete substances that help regulate the pH of food when it begins to be processed. Once food is chewed, ruminants pass it down the esophagus, but the larger particles are regurgitated back into the mouth, so that they are chewed again and thus they are completely crushed.
In the rumen and large intestine is where the populations of microorganisms that carry out theare mainly found.fermentation of plant matter and, in this way, synthesize essential nutrients for the animal.
Digestion of monogastric herbivorous animals
But not all herbivorous vertebrates are ruminants, thus, we find monogastrics, where some have simple stomachs, butlong intestines that slow the passage of food and specialized digestive parts with microorganisms for fermentation.
On the other hand, others have developed coprophagia, that is, the consumption of their own fecal matter in order to pass it again by the digestive process and thus take nutrients more efficiently, since in this first digestive process certain vitamins and substances are produced that the animal takes advantage of when consuming its feces. An emblematic case is found in rabbits.
Digestion of herbivorous fish
We also have herbivorous fish that, generally, instead of plants their diet is based on algae, which do not have lignin nor other substances present in vegetables, which are usually more difficult to digest. Thus, some rely on their jaws to crush the algae, then certain species have acidic stomachs that, with the help of some enzymes, weaken the remains of the algae consumed and obtain the nutrients.
In other types of fish there is the presence of a muscular structure known as a gizzard, which serves to grind the vegetable food that a once processed it is digestible. There are also cases in which microorganisms present in the hindgut carry out the fermentation process. An important aspect is that these are not mutually exclusive mechanisms.
Digestion of herbivorous birds
In birds seed eaters digestion is also a complex process that occurs in various structures present in these animals, which help to efficiently grind food. In addition, with the help of digestive enzymes they are finished processing.
Digestion of invertebrate herbivorous animals
Finally, you have probably wondered what happens to digestion in invertebrate herbivores. Well, some of them have mouth structures for sucking liquid food that go into the alimentary canal to get the nutrients, like in butterflies. Others, for example beetles and some wasps that consume cellulose, rely on fungi to carry out digestion and various insects have bacteria and protozoa in their digestive systems that also facilitate This process.
Types of herbivorous animals
Herbivores can not only be classified according to their digestive system. Thus, herbivores can also be of different types depending on the plant food they consume, since, as we have mentioned, they can specialize in what they eat. We find:
- Pastors: consume foliage or grass.
- Browsers: they feed on woody plants such as bushes.
- Folivores: they eat leaves.
- Granivores: consume seeds.
- Frugivores: their diet is based on fruits.
- Nectarivores: feed on nectar.
- Xilophages: they eat wood.
- Polynivores: consume pollen.
Examples of monogastric herbivorous animals
Given that the main classification of herbivorous animals is the one that separates them according to whether they are monogastric or polygastric, we will name examples of each of them. Let us now know some examples of monogastric herbivorous animals:
Equines
Within the equids we find several species, but without a doubt the most representative are the following:
- Horses
- Donkeys
- Zebras
Rodents
Although there are omnivorous rodents, many of them are found within herbivorous animals, such as these:
- Hamsters
- Guinea Pigs
- Chinchillas
- Capybaras
- Beavers
- Maras
- Coipus
- Pacas
- Porcupine
- Squirrels
Other monogastric herbivores
Rodents and equines are not the only herbivorous animals that have a stomach without chambers, other animals of greater or lesser size are also part of this group of monogastrics, the following being the most representative:
- Rhinos
- Elephants
- Tapires
- Rabbits
Examples of polygastric herbivorous animals
Regarding polygastric herbivorous animals, let us remember that they are those that have a stomach divided into several chambers and that, therefore, their digestion is totally different. Some examples of polygastric herbivores are:
Bovids
In cattle we find the largest representatives of the ruminant group, some of them being the following:
- Cows
- Cebus
- Yaks
- Asian buffalo
- Ñus
- Caffir Buffaloes
- Gazelles
- Bisons
Sheep
Nor can we forget sheep, where we find examples of polygastric herbivores such as these:
- Mouflons
- Sheep
- Sheep
- Rams
Goats
Goats also have a multi-chambered stomach, so the following are examples of these animals:
- Domestic Goats
- Hispanic Goats
- Mountain Goats
- Ibexes
Cervids
Did you know that deer do not only include deer? In this group of mammals we find several of the examples of polygastric herbivorous animals:
- Red Deer
- Gamos
- Moose
- Reindeer
- Caribou
- Deer
Camelids
Finally, we finish the list of herbivorous animals considered polygastric with examples from the group of camelids:
- Camels
- Dromedaries
- Calls
- Alpacas
- Vicuñas
Other polygastric herbivores
These mentioned are not the only examples of ruminant herbivorous animals, we also find the following:
- Giraffes
- Okapis
Tell us, do you know more herbivorous animals that you would like to add to our lists? Leave your comment!
