Herbivores

A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthparts adapted to rasping or grinding. Horses and other herbivores have wide flat teeth that are adapted to grinding grass, tree bark, and other tough plant material. A large percentage of herbivores have mutualistic gut flora that help them digest plant matter, which is more difficult to digest than animal prey. This flora is made up of cellulose-digesting protozoans or bacteria.

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Herbivores, displaced by ocean warming, threaten subtropical seagrass meadows

Unlocking Nature’s Secret Weapon Against Herbivores

Large Herbivores Can Help Prevent Massive Wildfires

Large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay

In the tropics, nitrogen-fixing trees take a hit from herbivores

Soil microbiota can boost the growth of invasive plant species and provide defense against herbivores

Meat-eating mammals are more susceptible to cancer than herbivores

Herbivores developed powerful jaws to digest tougher plants after the mass extinctions

After Mass Extinctions, Herbivores Developed Powerful Jaws to Digest Tougher Plants

Herbivores developed powerful jaws to digest tougher plants after the mass extinctions