planteaters

Planteaters are animals whose diets are dominated by plant material, including leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, and nectar; many also ingest fungi. The category spans numerous taxa and feeding strategies, from grazers and browsers to frugivores and nectarivores, reflecting a range of adaptations to fibrous or seasonal food supplies.

Diversity and examples are wide. In mammals, common planteaters include elephants, giraffes, deer, and other ungulates, as well as folivores such as koalas and sloths. Birds such as parrots, pigeons, toucans, and honeyeaters rely on fruits, seeds, or nectar. Reptiles like tortoises and iguanas graze on vegetation, while some fish, notably parrotfish, feed on algae. Among specialists, koalas depend almost entirely on eucalyptus leaves, and sloths spend much of their time feeding on high-fiber foliage.

Adaptations reflect plant-based diets. Many herbivores have flat grinding teeth and specialized digestive systems to break down fibrous material, including foregut or hindgut fermentation in various mammals. Birds that process seeds or fruit may have strong beaks or specialized tongues, and nectar-feeding species often possess long bills or proboscises to access flowers. Digestive microbiomes common to herbivores help extract nutrients from plant matter.

Ecological roles are significant. Planteaters influence vegetation structure, participate in seed dispersal and pollination, and serve as prey for predators. They can affect crop yields and land use through grazing and browsing, and many face conservation challenges linked to habitat loss, fragmentation, and resource availability.