11 Animals That Eat Bamboo

Considering how simple it is to cultivate and how resilient it is to drought, bamboo is a favorite among many gardeners.

However, did you know there are a lot of animals that eat bamboo?

In the article, we’ll look at some animals that eat bamboo and learn more about them.

So keep reading if you want to learn more about this fascinating plant!

Animals That Eat Bamboo

1. Giant Panda

Giant bamboo is starting our list of animals that eat bamboo. The world is familiar with the giant panda as an iconic species thanks to its extraordinary diet of only bamboo. 

It is surprising how much of this plant is consumed because it gives them food and vital nutrients.

In particular, wild pandas’ choice to live in bamboo forests keeps their diet well-balanced and rich in fresh food sources.

It’s interesting to note that when bamboo shoots are scarce or unavailable, the animals that eat bamboo turn to other grasses and plants.

Still, nothing quite compares to the appeal of an infinite supply of bamboo shoots.

2. Red Pandas

Red pandas are also one of the animals that eat bamboo. They are adorable cousins of giant pandas, and while being somewhat smaller, they still have a voracious appetite.

Although it is widely known that these animals adore bamboo, they will consume up to 9 pounds daily, which is remarkable for animals that don’t weigh more than 10 pounds. 

However, if they get access to other small animals or birds, they’ll also eat those.

They primarily reside in the same regions of Eastern Asia as their larger relatives and prefer to live close to bamboo forests because these areas have an abundance of their favorite diet.

3. Zebras 

Zebras are white and black herbivores that only consume plants.

Although grass, leaves, and stems from various trees make up most of their food, their stomachs are suited to handle bamboo. If there is no grass available, they usually consume bamboo.

4. Rabbits

Bamboo shoots and stalks can be eaten in moderation by rabbits, although consuming too much at once can cause stomach distress.

To help wear down their teeth, they also enjoy chewing on wood and other tough plants like bamboo.

Although these animals that eat bamboo occasionally eat fruit, most of their diet consists of vegetables like carrots and cabbage.

5. Giraffe

The tallest living creature is a giraffe, which can reach 19 feet. Giraffes love consuming tall items, particularly acacia tree leaves. 

However, they also eat herbs, climbers, climbers, and bamboo. They may devour up to 75 pounds of food each day and spend most of their time eating.

6. Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are next on our list of animals that eat bamboo. They typically focus on the fruit when it comes to eating.

However, chimpanzees will take advantage of the treatment if bamboo is available in Africa during its limited growing season. 

Chimpanzees, primarily found in tropical forests, value this resource for the leaves and shoots it produces.

Chimpanzees would happily eat if they could find additional food sources, such as plants, seeds, or even a dead animal carcass. 

7. Mountain Gorilla 

Gorillas are unquestionably amazing creatures because of their enormous size and power, but you might be surprised by what they eat.

In the wild, gorillas will consume more than 142 different plant types as food because they mostly live off of plants.

One such species is bamboo, the males of which consume about 40 pounds of leaves and shoots each day. 

Females follow closely behind, requiring roughly 33 pounds daily to maintain themselves.

However, because they can’t rely on bamboo all year round, animals that eat bamboo have evolved to find the nutrients they require from other sources without bamboo. 

8. Wooden Rat

Given their diminutive size and deliberate actions, bamboo rats might not seem menacing, yet they can cause problems for farmers and agricultural workers.

These four rodent species are indigenous to Asia, where they prey primarily on bamboo before reverting to other food sources.

Although these animals that eat bamboo rarely weigh more than a few ounces, some can reach up to 9 pounds! 

They become immobile, although they can still significantly harm gardens or crop fields.

Despite their shy conduct and sluggish character, these peculiar animals that eat bamboo continue to be a serious nuisance that needs to be watched in agricultural areas across their natural habitats.

9. Bamboo Lemur

Bamboo lemurs are an uncommon species due to their peculiar diet of bamboo and their restricted environment.

They can only be found on the island of Madagascar, where they live in dense bamboo forests with plentiful edible bamboo growing high in the trees. 

Researchers are still baffled about how these monkeys metabolize the substantial levels of cyanide found inside the bamboo they ingest, despite their specialization in consuming something fatal to many other animals.

10. Termites

The termite, a small insect with a voracious appetite, adores bamboo.

These laborious animals eat bamboo through bamboo’s thick stalks like a bee does with nectar-rich blooms. 

These tiny animals eat bamboo, which only measures a few centimeters.

They may inflict great harm on the commonly used building material and cost their victims tens of thousands of dollars in damages.

They also enjoy eating wood, gypsum board, paper goods, and insulation material, so bamboo isn’t their only favorite food.

11. Bamboo Borer

The last on our list, the bamboo borer, is endemic to Southeast Asia and India and has a voracious hunger for bamboo shoots.

The bamboo stem is first drilled for a small hole, followed by its hollowing out to create a hollow pipe-like structure.

As they can easily avoid chemical termite barriers, infestations can quickly spread throughout a region, wreaking havoc among bamboo forests as they consume all the shoots.