Herbivores are – If we classify animals, it can be done by the food they eat. The grouping is divided into three, namely herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. However, in this article, we will discuss herbivores, starting from their definition to the types of animals. So, what are you waiting for, immediately read this article until it’s finished, Sinaumed’s.
Definition of herbivore
Herbivore is a term for animals that eat plants or animals and do not eat meat. Herbivore consists of two words, namely herb which comes from Latin which means plant, while vora comes from Latin namely vorare which means to eat or eat. Meanwhile, in a shorter sense, herbivores are organisms that eat plants or protein from plants.
In general, animals that belong to the herbivore group usually live in places where there is a lot of grass growing, such as meadows, forests and rice fields. In addition, herbivorous animals also live in groups according to their type. Herbivores are forms of animals that consume or eat plants, fungi, and so on.
This is because herbivorous animals are animals that are mostly tame. Therefore, herbivorous animals often become prey for meat-eating or carnivorous animals.
Characteristics of Herbivorous Animals
Plant-eating animals or herbivores have their own characteristics or are different from meat-eating animals. In the country of Indonesia itself there are many types of animals and you need to know the characteristics of herbivorous animals. Here’s the explanation:
- In general, the main food of herbivorous animals is grass or other plants such as vegetables.
- Herbivorous animals reproduce by giving birth or viviparous.
- Herbivorous animals are included in the category of mammals or animals that suckle.
- Most herbivorous animals live or live on land.
- Herbivores belong to the class of warm-blooded animals.
- Has wide molars.
- Most herbivorous animals have 4 legs.
- Herbivores are animals that have a backbone.
- Herbivorous animals often become prey for carnivorous animals.
Types of Herbivorous Animals
Now, after knowing the meaning of herbivores, then in the following discussion, we will discuss various types of herbivorous animals. Here are some types of herbivorous animals along with a brief explanation.
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Goat
Goats are one of the most common animals in Indonesia and are the choice of Indonesians for livestock. In addition, goats are among the species that have been raised the longest, both from milk, meat, fur and skin throughout the world.
Goats are grass or leaf-eating animals that are of medium size and goats reproduce by giving birth. K
Male or female goats have a pair of horns, but the horns of male goats are bigger. In general, goats have a beard, a convex forehead, an upward tail, and straight, coarse hair.
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Buffalo
Do you think that buffalo are similar to cows? In fact, this buffalo is different from a cow and this buffalo is one of the animals that is quite common in Asia.
Buffaloes are tough working animals so that until now they are used to pull carts and plow fields. Buffalo is the domestic wild buffalo which you can still find in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Buffaloes not only produce meat that can be consumed by humans, but also produce milk that can also be consumed by humans which can be processed into yogurt.
Buffaloes have horns that can be used as home decorations. Not only that, buffalo horns can also be used as raw materials for crafts, such as smoking pipes, rakes, leather puppet clamps and many more. Even buffalo dung can be used as fertilizer and fuel when it is dried.
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Rabbit
This cute little animal is a mammal from the Leporidae family which can be found in various countries. Breeding in this rabbit is viviparous or giving birth. Until now, several types of rabbits have become one of the choices as pets and meat animals.
Rabbits have many types. Continental Giant is the largest type of rabbit in the world that can be used as meat and as pets. Not only that, this type of rabbit is the largest rabbit in the world with a height or length of 4 feet + 4 inches or 132 cm and a weight of about 3.5 stones or 22.2 kg.
When viewed from the type of fur, this type of rabbit has short and long hair. The color is slightly yellowish, and in winter the color turns gray. In addition, rabbit meat can be consumed and has many health benefits for the body.
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giraffe
Giraffe or scientific name Giraffa Camelopardalis is a mammal that has a higher height than other animals in general. The height of a male giraffe can reach 4.8 – 5.5 meters and can weigh up to 1,360 kilograms. On the other hand, female giraffes are usually slightly shorter, reaching 4.5 meters and have a lighter body weight.
Giraffes are mammals that have even nails endemic to Africa. Giraffes have long legs and irregular brown skin. The long neck can flex. Giraffes have a nearly half a meter long tongue and can help the giraffe to trace leaves as high as six meters from the ground.
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Elephant
This long-nosed animal is a large mammal from the Elephantidae family and the Proboscidea order.
The proboscis or proboscis can be used for many things, especially as a tool for breathing, sucking water, and picking up objects. Then, the incisors of the elephant grow into canines which are useful for protecting themselves and can be used as weapons and tools to move objects or dig the ground.
The large ears can be used to regulate body temperature. While the African elephant species has larger ears and a concave back, it is different from the ears of the Asian elephant which has a smaller body size and a convex back.
Elephants are herbivorous animals that can be found in savannas, forests, deserts and swamps. Female elephants tend to live with family groups. They consist of a single female and her young or several related females and their young. This group is led by an individual elephant called a matrix which is the oldest female.
Male elephants will leave the group at puberty, they will live alone or with other males. The adult male interacts with the family group again when searching for a mate and enters a testosterone-boosting stage that can help achieve his productive success.
The calf is the center of attention of the family group and is dependent on its mother for nearly three years.
Elephants can live for 70 years in the wild and communicate through touch, sight, smell and sound. Intelligence possessed by elephants has self-awareness and has a sense of empathy for other elephants.
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Rhinoceros
The next herbivorous animal is the rhinoceros. The characteristics possessed by rhinos are different from other animals. Rhino weighs more than one ton. If there are two of them, then one of them is located in front of it. The skin of this horned animal is approximately 1.5 to 5 cm where the skin comes from a layer of collagen.
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Zebra
Zebras or commonly referred to as striped horses are herbivorous animals from Africa which are famous for having a unique body, namely black and white stripes. The stripes on the zebra’s body are a characteristic that is easy to recognize. Each zebra has a distinctive pattern of stripes. Zebras live in eastern and southern Africa.
Zebras can also be found in various types of habitats such as savannas, grasslands, forested areas, scrubland, and mountainous areas. Usually, zebras become food for lions.
However, zebras can also bite and kick. Zebra species also have different behavior. Zebras can communicate with a wide variety of sounds, body postures and facial expressions. Social care is useful for strengthening the bonds that exist between individuals in other zebra species.
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Camels are herbivorous animals with two species of even-toed hoofs that live in dry areas such as deserts in Asia and North Africa. The average life expectancy of a camel is 30-50 years. Camel can be used to get its milk which contains higher nutrition than cow’s milk, its meat can be consumed and can be used as working animals.
In addition, they were able not to eat or drink for several days. The camel’s hump can help him to adapt which can store special fat and can be converted into water with the help of oxygen resulting from respiration. One gram of fat in the humps can be converted into one gram of water.
In fact, its adaptability is its respiratory system which leaves very few traces of water vapor coming out of the lungs and then being reabsorbed by the body. In fact, camels can survive temperatures up to 41 degrees Celsius. If it is more than this temperature, the camel will sweat. Evaporation from sweat comes off on his skin not on his hair.
Camels can survive with a mass loss of about 20 – 25% when they sweat. Even though the camel loses quite a lot of fluids in the body, its blood remains hydrated up to 25%.
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kangaroo
Kangaroo belongs to the category of herbivores. Kangaroos have pouches known as marsupials. This typical Australian animal is a mammal that has two strong hind legs, large soles which are useful for jumping at speeds of 20-25 km/hour. In fact, kangaroos can jump up to 70 km per hour.
Kangaroo can live approximately 9-18 years, but some can live up to 28 years. Kangaroos have strong forelimb muscles, and these muscles can be used for fighting.
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grasshopper
Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects that can fly. This grasshopper has an antenna that is shorter than its body size. The sound made by grasshoppers is produced by rubbing their hind femurs with their wings or abdomen, or by flapping their wings while flying.
The body size of female grasshoppers is generally larger than that of male grasshoppers. Grasshoppers prefer open nature such as valleys with lots of grass and other small plants. Many species of locusts live in the grasslands, so they often attack the surrounding farmer’s fields which will make farmers lose money.
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Cow
Cows are included in the class of grass-eating animals or herbivores. Cows are kept because they have good benefits for humans. The milk and meat are rich in high nutrition, so the cow is one of the most frequently kept animals, such as goats.
Not only milk and meat, but other parts of the cow such as skin, viscera, horns and even its dung can be used as a driving force for transportation, processing of planting land (plow), and other industrial tools (such as sugar cane crusher).
In addition, cow power is also used by humans as a traditional tool for plowing fields. Based on its benefits, cattle are classified as beef cattle, dairy cattle, and working cattle.
Currently, the cattle business can be said to be quite lucrative. This is not without reason because the cow itself has many benefits for humans. For example, meat that can be consumed, milk that can be drunk, and so on. In addition, usually cows that many people glance at are fat cows.