Erbivora

Erbivora is the term used to describe animals whose diet consists primarily of plant matter. In English, the corresponding word is herbivore or herbivorous; erbivora appears as a cognate form in some languages and historical usage. As a functional feeding guild, herbivory includes species across many groups—mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and many invertebrates—and does not denote a single taxonomic clade.

Diet and ecological role

Erbivora feed on a range of plant materials, including leaves, stems, roots, seeds, fruits, and often algae. They are typically primary consumers, transferring energy from plants to higher trophic levels. By shaping vegetation communities and contributing to nutrient cycling, herbivores influence soil structure, plant diversity, and ecosystem dynamics. Plants counter with defenses such as thorns, toxins, or tough tissues, driving evolutionary interactions with herbivores.

Adaptations

Herbivores show a variety of anatomical and digestive adaptations. Many have teeth suited to grinding plant material, such as flat molars; some, like rodents, have ever-growing incisors for gnawing. Digestive strategies include foregut fermentation in ruminants (cattle, deer, sheep) and hindgut fermentation in other herbivores, supported by specialized gut microbiota. Beaks, digestive tracts, and gut length often reflect the plant types consumed.

Examples and significance

Common herbivores include domestic livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses), wild herbivores (deer, rabbits, hares), herbivorous birds (geese), various insects (caterpillars, leafhoppers), and herbivorous fish (parrotfish). Humans interact with erbivora through agriculture, grazing management, pest control, and conservation, recognizing their central role in ecosystems and food webs. See also herbivore and herbivory.