25+ Animals That Eat Plants: Discover Herbivores From Around the World

When you think about the animal kingdom, you might picture lions hunting zebras or sharks chasing fish. But here’s a surprising fact: most animals on Earth actually eat plants, not other animals.

These plant-eating creatures, called herbivores, make up the largest group of animals in almost every ecosystem on the planet.

From tiny caterpillars munching on leaves to massive elephants stripping bark from trees, animals that eat plants come in all shapes and sizes.

You’ll find them grazing in your backyard, swimming in oceans, and flying overhead. Each has developed amazing ways to turn tough plant material into the energy they need to survive.

In this guide, you’ll discover how different animals have adapted to eat plants, from farm animals like cows and sheep to exotic creatures like koalas and sloths.

You’ll also learn about the surprising variety of birds, reptiles, insects, and fish that depend entirely on plants for their meals, and how their unique feeding habits help keep nature in balance.

Cows

Cows are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. You’ll often see these large farm animals grazing in fields, munching on grass throughout the day.

Their diet includes grass, hay, and other plant materials. Cows can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and need lots of food to maintain their size.

What Makes Cows Special Plant Eaters

Cows have a unique digestive system that helps them break down tough plant materials. They can digest cellulose, which many other animals cannot process.

You might notice cows chewing even when they’re not eating fresh grass. This is called chewing cud, where they bring up partly digested food to chew again.

Cow Diet Facts

Why Cows Are Important

Farmers raise cows for milk and meat production. These gentle animals provide dairy products like milk, cheese, and butter.

Some farms now use grass-fed practices. This means cows eat only grass and forage instead of grain-based feed.

Cows come in different colors including white, brown, and black. Despite their large size, they are calm animals that play an important role in agriculture worldwide.

Horses

Horses are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. These large animals get all their nutrition from grasses, hay, leaves, and other plant materials.

In the wild, horses spend most of their day grazing. They eat different types of grass like Timothy, Bermuda, and Bluegrass. You’ll also see them eating shrubs, tree bark, and small flowering plants called forbs.

Wild horses have a varied diet that includes:

• Grasses – their main food source
• Tree bark and twigs – especially in winter
• Shrubs like sagebrush and juniper
• Forbs such as dandelions and clover
• Fruits and vegetables when available

Horses have special teeth and stomachs designed for eating plants. Their flat teeth help them grind tough plant fibers. Their digestive system breaks down cellulose from plants to get energy.

Domestic horses usually eat hay and grain. However, they do better when their diet includes variety like their wild cousins. Fresh pasture grass gives them important nutrients they need.

A horse’s body shows it’s built for eating plants. Studies of horse anatomy prove they are true herbivores. Their teeth, stomach, and intestines all work best with plant-based food.

Horses can’t digest meat properly. Their bodies lack the enzymes needed to break down animal protein. This is why you should only feed horses plant-based foods to keep them healthy.

Sheep

Sheep are herbivores that eat only plants. They spend 6 to 8 hours each day grazing in pastures.

These animals are ruminants with special stomachs that help them digest tough plant material. They chew their food, bring it back up as cud, and chew it again to get more nutrients.

Primary Foods Sheep Eat:

• Ryegrass and timothy grass
• Fescue and bromegrass
• White and red clover
• Alfalfa
• Dandelions

Sheep prefer soft plants over woody ones because they are easier to chew and digest. They actively avoid plants that require too much work to break down.

A sheep needs about 0.03 pounds of food for every pound it weighs. Large sheep can eat 9 to 10 pounds of food daily. Most adult sheep weigh between 100 and 350 pounds.

Winter Diet Changes:

• Hay and silage
• Grains and oats
• Squash and pumpkins
• Special sheep feed

During winter months, farmers must provide extra food when pasture grass stops growing. Sheep cannot find enough fresh plants on their own in cold weather.

Baby sheep called lambs drink their mother’s milk for the first two weeks. They start eating small amounts of grass at 2 weeks old. By 4 to 6 weeks, lambs get half their food from milk and half from plants.

Sheep will graze different areas to avoid eating all the plants in one spot. This helps keep pastures healthy for future grazing.

Goats

Goats are generalist herbivores that eat many different types of plants. They browse rather than graze, which means they pick and choose what to eat.

These animals prefer leaves, twigs, bark, flowers, and fruit over grass. You’ll often see them eating shrubs, weeds, and tree branches that other animals avoid.

What goats typically eat:

• Leaves and twigs
• Tree bark
• Flowers and fruit
• Shrubs and bushes
• Seeds and fungi
• Grasses (but not their favorite)

Goats are picky eaters who look for the most nutritious plants available. They can reach higher vegetation that other livestock cannot access because of their climbing ability.

One unique trait is that goats can eat some toxic plants that would harm other animals. Their four-chambered stomach helps them process these dangerous plants safely. For example, they can eat capeweed, which contains high levels of nitrates.

However, some plants are still poisonous to goats. Rhododendron, yew, and cherry leaves can make goats sick or kill them.

Farmers sometimes use goats like living lawn mowers to clear overgrown land. The goats eat tough brambles and weeds that sheep and cattle won’t touch.

Goats need about 2-4 pounds of dry matter per day. They also drink 2-4.5 liters of water daily, depending on the weather and their size.

Their selective eating habits make them both helpful for land clearing and challenging for garden owners who want to protect their plants.

Deer

Deer are herbivores that eat only plants. They spend most of their day looking for food to meet their high energy needs.

These animals are selective eaters. They don’t just eat any plant they find. Deer prefer plants that are low in fiber but high in protein.

What deer commonly eat:

• Fresh leaves and twigs
• Buds from trees and shrubs
• Grasses and herbs
• Fruits and nuts when available
• Aquatic plants near water sources

Deer have a complex digestive system. They need high-quality food to stay healthy. Poor quality plants can make them sick or weak.

You might see deer in your garden eating flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants. They often target plants like hostas, tulips, and young tree shoots.

Seasonal eating patterns change throughout the year. In spring, deer eat fresh green shoots. During summer, they browse on leaves and herbs. Fall brings nuts and fruits. Winter forces them to eat bark, twigs, and dried plant matter.

Their feeding habits affect entire forest ecosystems. Heavy deer browsing can change which plants grow in an area. This impacts other animals that depend on those plants.

Deer are most active during dawn and dusk when they search for food. A single deer can eat 6-10 pounds of plant material each day during peak growing season.

Rabbits

Rabbits are herbivores that eat only plants. These small mammals have a diet made up of grasses, herbs, leaves, and various shrubs.

Wild rabbits will eat almost any plant they can find. They love to munch on garden vegetables, flowers, and leafy greens. You might see them eating herbs, bark from trees, and young seedlings.

Common plants rabbits eat include:

• Grasses and forbs
• Garden vegetables (lettuce, carrots, peas)
• Flowers and ornamental plants
• Tree bark and twigs
• Seeds and fruits

Rabbits prefer to eat at ground level. If you notice damage to plants near the soil, rabbits might be the cause. They often target young, tender plants because these are easier to digest.

These animals have a special digestive system that helps them break down tough plant material. Their stomachs can handle a wide variety of plants that other animals cannot eat safely.

Feeding habits change with seasons:

• Spring: Fresh grasses and new growth
• Summer: Leafy vegetables and garden plants
• Fall: Seeds, fruits, and bark
• Winter: Twigs, bark, and dried plant matter

Rabbits eat most during dawn and dusk hours. They spend much of their day searching for food since plants provide less energy than meat. A single rabbit can eat up to one pound of plant material each day.

In the food chain, rabbits serve as primary consumers. They turn plant energy into their own body mass, which then feeds carnivorous animals.

Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are strict herbivores that eat only plants. In the wild, they spend most of their day foraging for food.

Wild guinea pigs eat grasses, roots, fruits, stems, and wild berries. They also consume various leaves and flowers they find in their natural habitat.

Safe wild plants for guinea pigs include:

• Dandelions (leaves and flowers)
• Cleavers (leaves only, not seed pods)
• Chickweed (rich in vitamin C)
• Grass (pesticide-free)
• Red clover (leaves and flowers)
• Plantain varieties

Important feeding guidelines:

You must identify plants correctly before feeding them. Some plants look similar but can be toxic to guinea pigs.

Always check that wild plants are free from pesticides and contamination. Pick plants away from roads and areas where chemicals might be sprayed.

Fresh grass makes an excellent daily food source. Your guinea pig can eat both broadleaf and narrow-leaf plantain safely.

Nutritional benefits vary by plant:

• Chickweed provides high vitamin C
• Shepherd’s purse helps with digestive issues
• Red clover offers good calcium content

Never feed unknown plants to your guinea pig. When in doubt, stick to store-bought hay and vegetables.

Elephants

Elephants are the largest plant-eating animals on land. These gentle giants eat only plants and need huge amounts of food every day to survive.

What Elephants Eat

You’ll find elephants eating many different plants:

• Grasses and leaves
• Tree bark and roots
• Fruits and flowers
• Bamboo shoots
• Tree branches and twigs

Daily Food Needs

An adult elephant eats about 300-400 pounds of plants each day. That’s like eating a small car’s weight in food! They spend 12-18 hours daily just looking for food and eating.

Different Species, Different Diets

African elephants prefer eating trees, bark, and woody plants. You’ll see them strip bark from trees with their trunks.

Asian elephants eat more grasses and soft plants like palms. They also enjoy bamboo shoots when available.

Seasonal Eating Patterns

During rainy seasons, elephants eat fresh green grasses and new plant growth. When it’s dry, they switch to eating more tree bark and roots.

Individual Food Choices

Recent research shows that even elephants in the same family eat different plants. A pregnant elephant might choose different foods than others in her group. This helps reduce competition for food within elephant families.

Why Plant Variety Matters

Elephants need many different types of plants to stay healthy. Having diverse food choices helps them get all the nutrients they need to grow strong and have healthy babies.

Giraffes

Giraffes are the world’s tallest land animals. They eat only plants, making them herbivores. Their height gives them a big advantage when looking for food.

These gentle giants spend 75% of their day eating. A large male giraffe eats about 145 pounds of food each day. That’s like eating 580 hamburgers!

Main foods giraffes eat:

• Acacia tree leaves (their favorite)
• Tree buds and twigs
• Flowers and fruits
• Herbs and vines
• Some grass (very little)

Their long necks help them reach leaves that other animals cannot get. Giraffes use their 18-inch tongues to grab leaves from thorny branches. The roof of their mouth has ridges that help them strip leaves off branches.

Male and female giraffes eat differently. Males eat more fiber-rich leaves from higher branches. Females choose leaves with more nutrients and less fiber. This happens because males can reach higher spots with their longer necks.

Giraffes have four stomachs like cows do. They chew their food, swallow it, then bring it back up to chew again. This helps them get nutrients from tough plant material.

During dry seasons, giraffes must travel farther to find good food. They eat more during bright moonlit nights. Their feeding habits help control tree growth and spread seeds to new places.

Giraffes get most of their water from the leaves they eat. This means they don’t need to drink water very often.

Zebras

Zebras are herbivores that eat only plants. These striped animals belong to the horse family and live across Africa’s grasslands, savannas, and mountains.

Grass makes up 90% of a zebra’s diet. They prefer tall, tough grasses that other animals often avoid. Zebras spend 60 to 80% of their day grazing to get enough nutrients from these low-quality plants.

When grass becomes scarce, zebras adapt their eating habits. They will eat leaves, twigs, bark, and shrubs to survive dry seasons.

Different Zebra Species Have Unique Diets

Zebras have simple stomachs compared to cows and sheep. They are hindgut fermenters, which means they digest food in their large intestine through bacterial breakdown.

Their strong upper lip helps them grab grass. They push grass between their front teeth and cut it off cleanly.

Baby zebras start eating grass within 30 minutes of birth. However, they continue nursing from their mothers for 8 to 13 months while learning to graze effectively.

Buffalo

Buffalo are powerful plant-eating animals that spend most of their day grazing. These large mammals are strict herbivores, which means they only eat plants and never consume meat.

What Buffalo Eat Daily

Buffalo have a simple but varied plant-based diet. They eat grass, weeds, herbs, and tree leaves as their main food sources. You’ll also find them eating sedges, which are grass-like plants that grow near water.

When food gets scarce, buffalo become less picky. They will eat moss, lichens, and even tree bark to survive. During dry seasons, they travel many miles each day searching for any available plants.

Water Buffalo vs Land Buffalo

Water buffalo spend time in rivers and marshes. They eat aquatic plants like reeds, water lilies, and algae. These buffalo can even graze underwater when floods occur.

Land buffalo stick to grasslands and savannas. They prefer fresh grass but will eat dried vegetation when needed.

Daily Eating Habits

Buffalo graze for 9-11 hours each day. They use their long tongues to wrap around grass and quickly swallow it. A single buffalo eats up to 66 pounds of plants daily.

These animals have four stomach chambers that help them digest tough plant material. They also chew their cud, bringing food back up to chew it again for better digestion.

Buffalo drink 30-40 liters of water daily and always stay close to water sources.

Camels

Camels are herbivores that eat only plants. These desert animals have adapted to survive on tough, dry vegetation that most other animals cannot digest.

You’ll find camels eating almost every part of a plant. They consume twigs, green shoots, stems, and leaves throughout the day. Their four-stomach system helps them process this rough plant material through rumination.

Desert plants make up most of their diet:

• Thorny plants like saltbush
• Dry grasses and shrubs
• Cacti (despite the sharp spikes)
• Succulent plants for moisture

Camels can eat thorny vegetation because they have a hard palate on the upper part of their mouths. This tough tissue protects them from sharp spines and thorns.

Near water sources like oases, camels access more variety. They eat poplar trees, willows, and reeds when available. These greener plants provide extra water and nutrients.

Food is scarce in desert habitats, so camels cannot be picky eaters. They spend most of their day grazing and searching for any edible plant matter they can find.

Camels are smart about what they eat. They avoid poisonous plants in familiar areas. However, they may accidentally eat toxic plants in new locations where they don’t recognize the dangers.

Their ability to eat plants other animals reject helps camels survive in harsh desert conditions. This adaptation makes them excellent at finding nutrition where food sources are extremely limited.

Hippos (Mostly Grass)

Hippos are some of the largest plant-eating animals on Earth. These massive creatures weigh between 3,000 and 10,000 pounds but survive almost entirely on grass.

Daily Grass Consumption You might be surprised to learn that hippos eat about 80-110 pounds of grass each night. They prefer short grass that grows near water sources where they live.

Hippos are picky eaters when it comes to plants. They rarely eat other vegetation, even turning away from aquatic plants that grow in their water homes.

Special Features for Eating Plants Their mouths are perfectly designed for grass eating:

• Large, flat back teeth grind tough grass
• Wide mouths can grab big amounts of grass at once
• Complex stomachs break down plant material

Nighttime Feeding Habits Hippos do most of their eating at night. They leave the water after dark to find grass on land. During the day, they stay in water to keep cool.

Occasional Meat Eating While hippos eat mostly plants, they sometimes eat meat during food shortages. This happens rarely and usually involves scavenging dead animals rather than hunting.

Habitat and Diet Connection Hippos live near rivers and lakes in Africa where grass grows well. The soft grass around these water areas provides the perfect food source for their daily needs.

Koalas (Eucalyptus Leaves)

Koalas are famous for eating eucalyptus leaves, but this diet choice is actually quite extreme. These leaves are toxic to almost every other animal on Earth.

The Toxic Menu

Eucalyptus leaves contain dangerous compounds that can poison most mammals. The leaves have:

• Tannins that block protein digestion
• Essential oils that damage organs
• High fiber that’s nearly impossible to break down

Most animals would die from eating these leaves regularly.

Special Gut Bacteria

Koalas survive because of tiny helpers in their stomachs. Special bacteria like Lonepinella koalarum live in their 2-meter-long intestines. These bacteria break down the toxic chemicals and turn poison into food.

Getting the Right Bacteria

Baby koalas get these life-saving bacteria in an unusual way. They eat special soft waste from their mothers called “pap.” This gross meal gives babies the bacteria they need to digest eucalyptus leaves.

Energy Costs

This toxic diet comes with a price. Koalas sleep 18-22 hours per day because digesting eucalyptus takes enormous energy. They eat up to 500 grams of leaves daily but get very few nutrients.

Limited Options

Only a few other animals can eat eucalyptus leaves. Greater gliders and some possums also feed on these plants, but they usually eat other foods too. Koalas are the most specialized eucalyptus eaters in the world.

Sloths (Tree Leaves)

Sloths are folivores, which means they eat mainly leaves. You’ll find these slow-moving animals munching on tree leaves in the rainforests of Central and South America.

Three-toed sloths prefer tender leaves from specific trees. The Cecropia tree is their favorite because its leaves are easier to digest. These sloths eat about 500 to 600 grams of leaves each day.

Two-toed sloths have a more varied diet than their three-toed cousins. They eat different types of leaves, plus some fruits and flowers. Occasionally, they might even eat small insects.

The digestion process is extremely slow for sloths. It takes up to 30 days for them to fully digest a single leaf. This slow digestion helps explain why sloths move so slowly.

Temperature affects how well sloths can digest their food. Warmer weather helps speed up their digestion process slightly.

Sloths choose leaves carefully based on what’s available in their habitat. They adapt to eat the most common tree species in their area. Young plant stems and tree bark also make up small parts of their diet.

The low nutritional value of leaves means sloths must conserve energy. This is why you’ll see them moving so slowly through the trees.

Parrots

Parrots are omnivores that eat many different plants. Wild parrots consume around 30 types of plants in their natural habitats.

Fruits make up a large part of their plant diet. Common fruits include:

• Plums and cherries
• Various tropical berries
• Forest fruits high in vitamins

Seeds and nuts provide important protein and fats. Parrots have strong beaks that crack tough shells. Pecans are a favorite nut for many species.

Rainforest parrots eat the most diverse plant foods. They consume fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, flowers, nectar, leaves, and buds. Their diet changes with the seasons based on what plants are available.

Flowers and nectar give parrots quick energy. Some parrot species visit flowers regularly. They get sugars while helping plants by spreading pollen.

Parrots also eat eucalyptus and carob leaves for fiber and nutrients. Leaves become more important when fruits are hard to find.

Their plant-eating habits help forests grow. Parrots spread seeds when they fly to new areas. This helps plants grow in different places.

Diet varies by location. Tropical rainforest parrots have more plant choices than parrots in dry areas. Desert parrots eat fewer types of plants.

If parrots are eating your garden plants, try hanging shiny objects that move. You can also use fake predators or cover your plants with nets.

Finches

Finches are small birds that eat mostly plants. You’ll find these colorful birds in yards and gardens across North America.

Seeds make up 80% of what finches eat. They love sunflower seeds, thistle seeds, and millet. Their strong beaks help them crack open tough seed shells.

What Seeds Finches Prefer:

• Black oil sunflower seeds
• Thistle (Nyjer) seeds
• Millet seeds
• Canary seeds
• Corn kernels

Finches change what they eat based on the season. In spring and summer, they find plenty of fresh seeds from wildflowers and grasses.

During winter, when seeds are hard to find, finches eat more fruits and berries. They also nibble on leafy greens and vegetable plants in your garden.

Different finch types eat different plants. American Goldfinches prefer thistle and sunflower seeds. House Finches eat a wider variety including fruits and vegetables.

You might see finches eating leaves from your garden plants. They especially like sunflower plant leaves and sedum. Some finches even eat zinnia flower petals to get to the seeds inside.

Each finch eats about 1-2 teaspoons of plant food daily. They spend most of their day searching for food and eating small amounts throughout the day.

If you want to attract finches to your yard, plant sunflowers, zinnias, and other seed-producing flowers. These natural food sources work better than store-bought bird feeders.

Geese

Geese are primarily herbivores that spend most of their time eating plants. They have strong beaks and digestive systems built for processing plant matter.

Wild geese eat many different plants:

• Grasses – young shoots and mature grass make up most of their diet • Aquatic plants – water lilies, duckweed, and algae from lakes and ponds
• Grains – corn, wheat, barley, and oats from farm fields • Seeds and berries – seasonal treats that provide extra energy • Sedges – grass-like plants that grow near water sources

You’ll often see geese grazing on land rather than swimming. Unlike ducks that dive for food, geese prefer to eat on dry ground where they can easily reach tender grass and plants.

Seasonal eating patterns change throughout the year. During winter, geese eat more sedges because moving water keeps these plants snow-free and easy to find.

Geese aren’t strict vegetarians though. They sometimes eat small insects, worms, and snails, especially during breeding season when they need extra protein for egg production.

Their plant-heavy diet serves an important purpose in nature. When geese graze on grasses and aquatic plants, they help control plant growth and prevent certain species from taking over an area.

If you have a garden, you might notice geese targeting your tender vegetables and flowers. They particularly enjoy leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and young vegetable plants.

Ducks

Ducks are omnivores that eat both plants and animals. However, they consume a lot of plant matter throughout the year.

Wild Duck Plant Diet

Wild ducks love aquatic plants like wild rice, coontail, and wild celery. They also eat wetland grasses and pond vegetation. Different duck species prefer different plant parts.

Some ducks eat mostly leaves and stems. Others focus on seeds from wetland plants. Many ducks eat roots and underwater plant parts.

Seasonal Plant Eating

Ducks eat more plants during colder months. In spring and summer, they balance plants with insects and small animals. Young ducklings start with insects but eat more plants as they grow.

Safe Garden Plants for Ducks

If you keep ducks, you can feed them many garden plants safely:

Leafy Greens:

• Cabbage
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Bok choy
• Swiss chard

Vegetables:

• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Pumpkins
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes (fruit only)

Fruits:

• Berries
• Melons
• Grapes (cut in half)
• Apples (remove seeds)

Herbs:

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Fennel

Feeding Guidelines

Plants should make up part of your ducks’ diet, not all of it. Feed vegetables daily but in small amounts. Fruits are treats and should be limited.

Some plants are dangerous for ducks. Avoid potato leaves, rhubarb, and raw beans. Remove seeds from apples and stone fruits before feeding.

Swans

Swans are mostly plant-eating birds that spend their days looking for food in water and on land. They eat plants almost all the time to get the nutrients they need.

Main Plant Foods

• Algae and aquatic plants like pondweed
• Grasses and land plants
• Seeds and grains from wheat, corn, and wild rice
• Vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and carrots

You’ll see swans dipping their long necks underwater to reach plants below the surface. This behavior is called “up-ending” and looks quite funny when they do it.

How Much They Eat Swans need to eat about 25% of their body weight each day. Since adult swans weigh 20-27 pounds, they eat 4-7 pounds of food daily.

They don’t get much nutrition from each bite. This means they must eat almost constantly throughout the day to stay healthy.

Seasonal Changes In winter, swans eat more land plants when water plants are harder to find. They may visit farms to eat leftover grains and crops.

During summer, they focus more on water plants that grow well in warm weather.

Baby Swans Are Different Young swans called cygnets eat more insects and small animals at first. Their parents stir up the pond bottom to help them find this protein-rich food.

As cygnets grow older, they slowly switch to eating mostly plants like their parents.

Hoatzin (Leaf-Eating Bird)

The hoatzin is nature’s most unusual leaf-eating bird. You’ll find this unique species in the swamps and flooded forests of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America.

Unlike other birds, hoatzins eat almost nothing but leaves. 82% of their diet consists of leaves, with only 10% flowers and 8% fruit. They can even digest toxic leaves that would kill other birds.

Unique Digestive System

The hoatzin has developed a digestive system similar to a cow’s. Their enlarged crop acts like a cow’s stomach, containing special bacteria that ferment plant material.

This fermentation process breaks down tough plant fibers effectively. The hoatzin can digest up to 70% of the plant fiber it consumes, much better than most other birds.

Physical Characteristics

You can recognize a hoatzin by its distinctive features:

• Size: About 65 cm long (similar to a pheasant)
• Appearance: Blue face, spiky reddish crest, long brown tail
• Nickname: Called “stinkbird” because fermentation creates a strong odor

Feeding Behavior

Hoatzins climb clumsily through tree branches searching for food. They use serrated beaks to cut leaves into smaller pieces before swallowing.

The birds consume leaves from over 50 different plant species. They spend most of their time slowly moving through marshy areas, methodically eating vegetation.

Baby Hoatzins

Young hoatzins have claws on their wings. These claws help them climb branches before they can fly properly.

Iguanas

Iguanas are large lizards that eat almost entirely plants. These reptiles make their homes in Central and South America’s rainforests and spend most of their time in trees.

Green iguanas are the most common type you’ll see. They can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh around 20 pounds. Their diet includes over 100 different plant species.

What Iguanas Eat Daily

Iguanas focus on these plant foods:

• Leaves – Their main food source, especially green leafy plants
• Flowers – Eaten more often during dry seasons for extra water
• Fruits – Ripe fruits from fig trees and other plants
• Vines – Various climbing plants in the forest

Young iguanas sometimes eat insects and spiders for extra protein. Adult iguanas rarely eat animal matter and do best on plant-only diets.

Special Body Features

Iguanas have sharp teeth that help them tear tough plant material. Their strong jaws can bite through thick leaves and stems.

Their stomachs use special bacteria to break down plant fiber. This process works better when iguanas stay warm, which is why they bask in the sun.

Helping the Forest

When iguanas eat fruits, they spread seeds to new areas through their waste. This helps plants grow in different parts of the forest.

They also control plant growth by eating leaves and flowers. This keeps any single plant type from taking over and helps many different plants thrive.

Tortoises

Tortoises are completely herbivorous reptiles that eat only plants. They spend most of their day looking for food and can eat up to 200 different types of plants in the wild.

Safe Plants for Your Tortoise:

• Dandelions (leaves, stems, flowers)
• Clover (red and white varieties)
• Hibiscus flowers
• Grasses (couch grass, fountain grass)
• Kale and collard greens
• Arugula
• Watercress

Your tortoise needs a diet that is 90% leafy greens and grasses. Wild tortoises eat herbaceous plants that make up about 30% of their daily food intake.

Fruits and Treats can be given occasionally. Apples, pears, and strawberries work well for some species. Always remove pits and seeds before feeding.

Plants to Avoid:

• Azaleas
• Foxglove
• Lilies
• Any plant treated with pesticides

Different tortoise species have different needs. Desert tortoises like Sulcata prefer native grasses and drought-resistant plants. Mediterranean species enjoy more varied leafy greens.

You should grow your own plants when possible. This lets you control pesticide use and gives your tortoise fresh food. Grass should make up the biggest part of your tortoise’s diet, especially for larger species.

Young tortoises need more variety in their plant diet to support proper growth and shell development.

Some Lizards (E.g., Uromastyx)

Many lizards eat only plants, making them true herbivores. The Uromastyx is one of the best examples of plant-eating lizards.

Uromastyx lizards are also called spiny-tailed lizards. They live in hot desert areas across North Africa and the Middle East. About 20 different types exist.

These lizards eat mostly plants in the wild. Their diet includes leaves, flowers, and desert plants. Young Uromastyx may eat some insects, but adults stick to plants.

Key Plant Foods for Uromastyx:

• Dark leafy greens (70-90% of diet)
• Desert flowers and buds
• Seeds and fruits (small amounts)
• Vegetables like carrots

Uromastyx have special teeth and jaws for eating plants. Their strong jaws can crush tough plant material. They also have long digestive systems to break down plant fiber.

These lizards get most of their water from the plants they eat. They rarely drink water directly. This helps them survive in dry desert places.

Pet Uromastyx need a plant-based diet too. You should feed them fresh vegetables and greens daily. Never give them meat or insects as main food.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars are eating machines that spend most of their time munching on plants. These larvae of butterflies and moths have one main job: eat and grow before they transform into adult insects.

Most caterpillars eat only plants, making them herbivores. They consume leaves, flowers, stems, fruits, bark, and even grass. Some species eat 20,000 times their own weight during their lifetime.

You’ll find two types of plant-eating caterpillars in nature:

Specialist caterpillars eat only one type of plant. Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed plants. Black swallowtail caterpillars prefer plants in the parsley family.

Generalist caterpillars eat many different plants. Mourning cloak caterpillars feed on elm, birch, hackberry, and cottonwood trees.

Here are common plants that caterpillars love to eat:

Caterpillars don’t drink water. They get all the moisture they need from the plants they eat. This makes fresh, juicy leaves especially important for their survival.

Some unusual caterpillars eat other things. A few species eat animal waste, fabric, or even other insects. But these are rare cases.

When you see holes in your garden plants, caterpillars are likely the cause. They eat constantly during daylight hours to fuel their rapid growth.

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are some of nature’s most active plant eaters. These jumping insects consume up to 50% of their body weight in vegetation each day.

Most grasshoppers are herbivores with flat mandibles perfect for grinding plant matter. You’ll find them munching on grass blades, leaves, and crops throughout daylight hours.

Their diet includes a wide variety of plants:

• Grasses – their primary food source • Crops like corn, wheat, oats, and soybeans
• Vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, and carrot tops • Weeds including dandelions and clover • Young shoots and tender bark

Grasshoppers prefer soft, green vegetation but can chew through tougher plant parts when needed. They feed most actively during early morning and late afternoon when temperatures are moderate.

When food becomes scarce, some species show omnivorous behavior. They may eat decaying organic matter, fungi, or even dead insects to survive harsh conditions.

Baby grasshoppers called nymphs eat the same foods as adults. However, they stick to softer plant materials like young leaves and grass blades since they’re still developing.

You should avoid certain plants around grasshoppers. Toxic species like nightshade, milkweed, and foxglove can harm them. Plants treated with pesticides or herbicides are also dangerous.

Large grasshopper populations can destroy entire crop fields quickly. Their synchronized feeding behavior makes them significant agricultural pests in many regions.

Leafcutter Ants

You might think leafcutter ants eat the leaves they carry on their backs. They don’t actually eat the leaves at all. Instead, these smart insects use leaves as farming tools.

About 47 kinds of leafcutter ants exist across North and South America. They live in huge underground colonies that can stretch up to 5 acres.

What They Really Eat

Leafcutter ants eat fungus that they grow in special underground gardens. Here’s how their farming works:

1. Cut leaves – Worker ants slice off leaf pieces with their strong jaws
2. Transport materials – They carry leaf bits back to their nest
3. Make paste – Ants chew leaves into a mushy paste
4. Feed fungus – They spread this paste on their fungus gardens
5. Harvest food – The colony eats the fungus that grows

Colony Food Roles

Different ants in the colony have different food jobs:

• Queens and nest workers eat only the farmed fungus
• Outside workers may also drink plant sap while collecting leaves
• Tiny ants ride on leaf pieces and help clean them

This farming system has worked for 50 million years. The fungus and ants need each other to survive. Without the ants feeding it leaves, the fungus dies. Without the fungus, the ants starve.

You can spot these ants by following their leaf-carrying trails through forests and grasslands.

Beetles (Many Species)

Beetles are among the most diverse plant-eating animals on Earth. With over 400,000 known species, many beetles feed primarily on plants.

Most beetles are herbivores. They eat leaves, stems, roots, seeds, nectar, and fruits. Their strong jaws help them chew through tough plant material.

You’ll find different beetle species eating specific plant parts:

• Leaf beetles – eat leaves and create holes • Weevils – feed on grains and crops like rice • Fruit beetles – consume soft fruits and figs • Root beetles – eat plant roots underground

Some beetles cause major damage to your garden plants. The Japanese beetle eats over 300 plant species. It leaves behind skeleton-like leaves after eating the soft parts.

Rice weevils and other crop-eating beetles cost farmers millions of dollars each year. They store themselves inside grains and eat crops from the inside out.

Certain beetles also eat wood like termites do. Longhorn beetles and powder post beetles can damage living trees and wooden furniture.

Not all beetles eat plants though. Some species are scavengers that eat dead material. Others hunt insects or even small amphibians.

The huge variety in beetle diets helps explain why there are so many species. When one group switches from eating one plant to another, it can evolve into a completely new species over time.

This makes beetles one of the most successful plant-eating animal groups in nature.

Herbivorous Fish Like Surgeonfish, Parrotfish, And Tilapia

Many fish eat only plants. These herbivorous fish help keep water ecosystems healthy and balanced.

Surgeonfish are marine fish that eat algae and seagrass. They live in coral reefs where they graze all day long. These fish can eat up to 60% of their body weight in algae daily.

Parrotfish have special beak-like mouths. They use these beaks to scrape algae off coral surfaces. Their feeding helps coral reefs stay healthy by removing excess algae.

Tilapia are freshwater fish that eat aquatic plants and algae. You can find them in lakes, rivers, and fish farms. They adapt well to different water conditions.

Key Features of These Plant-Eating Fish

These fish have longer digestive systems than meat-eating fish. The longer gut helps them break down tough plant materials. They also have flat teeth for grinding plants instead of sharp teeth for catching prey.

Plant-eating fish often feed in groups. This behavior helps them find food more easily. It also protects them from predators while they eat.

You might see these fish in aquariums or natural settings. They play important roles in cleaning their environments and controlling plant growth.