Difference Between Herbivores And Carnivores

Animals require constant energy for daily activities, to live, and to carry out different life processes. As animals are not capable to prepare their food, the dependency is on plants and other animals for their food to fulfill hunger and energy. Depending upon the mode of nutrition, animals are categorized as herbivores and carnivores. Let us unfold more key points, that exhibit the difference between herbivores and carnivores.

Difference Between Herbivores And Carnivores

Character	Herbivores	Carnivores
Definition	Herbivores are defined as the animals that consume only plant and their products	Carnivores are defined as the animals that consume the flesh of other animals.
Mouth	The mouth opening of these animals are very small and consume food from their mouth.	The mouth opening of these animals are very large and use their teeth for tearing the flesh apart.
Facial muscles	Herbivores consist of complex facial muscles.	carnivores consist of reduced facial muscles.
Ratio	The ratio of mouth to head is small for these animals.	The ratio of mouth to head is too large for these animals.
Appearance	Herbivores animals have broad, flat and short, teeth to grind and chew plant leaves, grains, and seeds.	Carnivores animals possess long, sharp, and curved incisors and canines to tear flesh.
Saliva	Their saliva has digestive enzymes.	Their saliva does not have digestive enzymes.
Chamber	They have either simple or stomach with multiple chambers	They have a simple stomach with one chamber.
Small intestine	The length of the small intestine is 10 to 12 times their body length.	The length of the small intestine is 3-6 times their body length.
Urine	They have moderately concentrated urine	They have extremely concentrated urine.
Example	Cow, giraffe, etc.	Leopard, Jaguar, etc.

Herbivores

Herbivores include the animals that rely on fruits, plants, and plant products for their food. They have certain specific features like broad and flat teeth that help them feed on plants. Such features help them to smash the plants easily.

Herbivores are capable of bringing up their food. This results in absorbing most of the nutrients from the food. They can detoxify vitamin A in the liver. Their saliva consists of carbohydrate digestive enzymes. They have a very long intestine.

Cows, buffaloes, goats, deer are some of the examples of herbivores. Butterflies and hummingbirds have the mouth shaped like a straw. This helps them to such nectar.

Types of Herbivorous Animals

Herbivorous animals include different types; Few of these animals feed on a variety of plants whereas some feed on a specific type of plant. Let us unfold more types of herbivorous animals along with the examples.

• Frugivores include animals that rely on fruits. Flying foxes and fruit bats are some frugivores.
• Followers include the animals that feed on leaves. E.g. Giraffe, koala, panda, caterpillars, etc.
• Xylophages consist of the herbivorous animals that feed on woods. E.g. Termites.
• Nectivores include herbivores that feed on nectar. E.g. Butterflies.
• Granivores include the herbivorous animals that rely on the seed. They are also said to be seed-eating herbivorous animals. E.g. Pigeons.

Carnivores

Carnivores are animals that rely on other animals for their food. These animals have several adaptations like sharp claws and sharp teeth that help them to catch their prey and tear through the skin. However, unlike herbivores, they lack in certain special features.

Carnivores cannot detoxify vitamin A in the liver. Their saliva does not consist of carbohydrate digestive enzymes. The length of the intestine is also small as compared to herbivores.

Tiger, lion, wolf, etc are some of the examples of carnivores. They have robust bodies, accompanied by powerful jaws capable of crushing bones. Carnivorous animals are also classified based on their feeding habits and the kind of animals they consume.

Types of Carnivorous Animals

Carnivorous animals include various facts. Depending on these facts these animals are described as follows;

• The carnivores like Red pandas and raccoons consume very little meat. Not all carnivores animals are strict meat-eaters.
• These animals are only capable of moving their jaws up and down. They cannot perform side movement of the jaws.
• All carnivores come down from a common ancestor.
• They have a well organized and simple digestive system.
• Dogs, wolves, and lions are a few examples of social carnivorous animals.