Definition of herbivore - What it is, Meaning and Concept

The animal is classified as the animal whose diet is based on herbs or, in a broader sense, on the vegetables in general .In some cases, species that are mainly herbivores can consume some animal proteins through eggs or insects.

In the group of herbivorous animals, we can find granivoros (they feed mostly on seeds), folivoros (leaves are their main food), frugivoros (centered on fruits) and xilofagos (its diet is based on wood).It is important to note that many times the herbivorous diet changes during the year according to the season.

The ruminants are an example of herbivorous animals.These mammals are characterized by digestion in two steps: at first they consume the plants and then They develop rumination, which is based on the regurgitation of semi-digested food to chew it again, add more saliva and undo it.The cows , the deer , the goats and the sheep are ruminants and therefore herbivorous.

The food chain , also known as food chain or food chain , is a stream of nutrients and energy that is created from the ways of nutrition of living beings that share an ecosystem.In it it is possible to distinguish between primary producers (beings that obtain energy from inorganic nutrients) and consumers (whose energy comes from organic nutrients.) Herbivorous animals are classified as primary consumers : they ingest primary producers.

It should be noted that, if a human being decides to do without the meat in their diet, it is not defined as herbivorous, but is called vegetarian (if he eats plants , dairy and eggs) or vegan (if you do not ingest anything that has animal origin).

For the rest of the animals, there are other concepts that allow them to be classified according to their type of feeding .The carnivorous , for example, are those organisms that get nutrients and the energy they need through a diet in which meat is the only product or the main one.In this group we find predators, who hunt other animals directly and then feed on their corpses, and carroneros, which they eat the leftovers of the previous ones.In the field of ecology, the word zoofago is preferred, which is defined as «being that feeds on animals».

On the other hand we have the omnivorous , those whose diet consists of both plants and animals.They are defined as "opportunistic eaters" and also as "generalists", since they do not have a organism specifically adapted for a particular feed.In this group, to which p We belong to human beings, we find several species, such as crows, bears, coaties, skunks and pigs.

There are also insectivorous organisms, which feed exclusively on insects.We should not underestimate the volume of the insect population in the world: although they are very small individuals, they make up a considerable portion of the biomass Earth animal.

Among the most popular herbivorous animals are the following:

* horse : these animals are admired for their beauty and for their presence, although they are also exploited by the human being to perform forced labor, both those who are fortunate to live in nature as those who have been enslaved feed exclusively on plants, and therefore are considered herbivorous;

* hippopotamus : although it has a very robust body and at first glance it could go through a large predator, its diet consists mainly of grass;

* iguana : This reptile has a varied diet throughout its life, since during youth it includes small insects and in old age it becomes completely vegetarian.