Carnivores, Herbivores & Omnivores Animals - Information and Facts
There are three types of animals: Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
Carnivores
Carnivores are flesh-eating mammals. This group includes a variety of animals such as cats, dogs, wolves, lions, tigers, and cheetahs. Most carnivores generally live alone but many of them also hunt in small groups. Carnivores usually feed on herbivores but many carnivores often attack and eat other carnivores too. The bigger the carnivore, the more it has to eat. The largest land carnivore is the polar bear. It is the only animal that actively hunts humans.
Carnivores Facts
- The weasel is the smallest living carnivore with an overall length of about 8 inches and weight of 1.5 ounces.
- The grizzly bear or brown bear is the largest carnivore and weighs up to 850 pounds with a length of up to 8 feet.
- Carnivores are at the top of the food chain.
- Carnivores are divided into pinnipeds (fin footed) and fissipeds (land).
- Carnivores are not able to move their jaws side to side very easily.
Herbivores
Herbivores are animals that eat mostly plant materials. They are also called primary consumers. Herbivores are further subdivided into several types, such as frugivores or fruit-eating animals, folivores or leaf-eating animals, and nectarivores or nectar-eating animals. Herbivores usually have blunt teeth that are useful for stripping leaves, twigs, etc. Herbivorous birds do not have teeth to mince the vegetation they eat.
Herbivores Facts
- The moose is a large herbivore that eats any kind of plant and fruit.
- Many herbivores have a digestive system that helps them get the most out of the plants they eat.
- The bee is a small pollinator that uses nectar and pollen from some kinds of plants to make honey.
- The stegosaurus and apatosaurus were herbivore dinosaurs.
- Herbivores spend more time eating than doing anything else.
Omnivores
Omnivores are animals that have specialized teeth that enable them to eat both plants and animals. Pigs, bears, foxes and chickens are examples of omnivorous animals. Because of their feeding habits, omnivores easily adapt to different environments. Omnivores have less specialized teeth than carnivores and herbivores. Some omnivores are pollinators which play a very important role in the life cycle of some kinds of plants.
Omnivores Facts
- Some of the omnivores eat eggs of other animals.
- Omnivores cannot digest plants that do not produce fruits and grains.
- Omnivores eat plants so they are able to survive in many environments.
- Omnivores do not eat all kinds of plants.
- The housefly is a scavenger that also eats fruit-bearing plants.
- Black bears and grizzly bears belong to the order carnivora, but they are omnivores.