what leads paleontologists to hypothesize that whales evolved from wolf-like carnivores?

Based on the mode of nutrition, animals can be classified into 2 categories:

Carnivores or Carnivorous animals
Herbivores or Herbivorous animals

Carnivorous animals derive their nutrient requirements from other animals. Conversely, herbivores are animals that depend on plants for their nutrition. Read on to notice the characteristics of herbivorous and carnivorous animals, and explore how the two differ from each other.

Herbivores

Herbivores or herbivorous animals are those animals that feed on plants, leaves, fruits and other plant-based food for diet. They are known equally main consumers and occupy level 2 or higher in the food chain. Moo-cow, goat, giraffe, sheep, zebra are common examples of herbivores. Interestingly, there are herbivores that specialize in feeding on certain parts of the plant – for example, animals that feed on fruits are known every bit frugivores while folivores are herbivores that feed on leaves.

Herbivores Characteristics

Characteristics of herbivores animals include:

Herbivores are physiologically and anatomically adapted to feed on establish material.
About herbivores have mutualistic gut flora which aids the digestion of plant matter.
Herbivores are the primary consumers in a food chain as they take the ability to survive on plant matter alone.
Herbivores also have specialized dentition which helps them to grind and process tough plant affair. For example, many herbivores have stiff and flat molars while others have non-existent or vestigial canine teeth.

Also read: Digestion In Ruminants

Examples of Herbivorous Animals

Following are common examples of herbivorous animals:

Herbivorous insects include butterflies, grasshoppers, treehoppers, etc.
Iguanas and tortoises are herbivorous reptiles.
Goose and parrot are herbivorous birds.

Carnivores

Carnivores or cannibal animals rely on other animals for their food. These animals take several adaptations that help to hunt prey. For case, nigh large cats such as lions and tigers accept robust bodies, accompanied by powerful jaws capable of crushing bones and tearing mankind.

They can besides be classified on the footing of their feeding habits and the kind of animals they consume. Let us take a look at some of these characteristics and classifications of cannibal animals.

Characteristics of Carnivorous Animals

The characteristics of carnivorous animals are:

Carnivorous animals have specialized dention to chase and kill prey. For example, baleen whales are considererd predators as they hunt krill using their baleen plates as filter-feeding systems. Similarly, virtually carnivorous mammals use sharp canines to deliver the killing blow. Venomous reptiles use fangs that function like hypodermic needles to inject venom into their casualty.
Some carnivorous animals such as chameleons and a few species of frogs have long viscid tongues to catch casualty.
Nigh carnivores are usually fast as they need to chase and tire their prey.
Some arthrodpods such every bit spiders use venom to impale their prey.
Carnivores practise non have the ability to detoxify vitamin A in the liver.
The length of the intestine in cannibal animals is small.

Nomenclature of Carnivorous Animals

Following are some of the of import classifications of carnivorous animals:

Depending upon the type of food they consume

Blazon of Carnivore	Food they consume
Aviovore	Consume birds
Insectivores	Consume insects
Vermivore	Consume worms
Hematophage	Consume blood
Piscivore	Consume fish
Oviovore	Eat eggs

On the ground of how these animals go their food

Predators

Predators are the animals that chase the prey they want to eat. For eg., lions, tigers, wolves.

Scavengers

Scavengers are animals that feed on dead and decaying animals for food. For eg., eagles, vultures. However, scavengers can also kill if the need arises.

Depending on the composition of their nutrition

Hypercarnivores

These include animals such as rats, sharks, owls, etc., that swallow more than 70% meat.

Mesocarnivores

These include dogs, foxes, etc., that consume fifty-70% of meat.

Hypocarnivores

They consume less than 30% of meat in their diet and include humans and blackness bears.

Examples of Carnivorous Animals

Following are some of the examples of carnivorous animals:

Carnivorous mammals include tiger, lion, cheetah, etc.
Black eagles, kites, hawks are carnivorous birds.
Alligator, crocodile, ophidian, komodo dragon are some of the carnivorous reptiles.
Whale, shark, tuna are carnivorous fish.

Facts About Carnivorous Animals

Post-obit are some of the interesting facts about carnivorous animals:

Non all carnivores are strict meat-eaters. Blood-red pandas and racoons eat very niggling meat.
The carnivorous animals can move their jaws only upwardly and downward. There is no side movement of the jaws of carnivores.
All carnivores descend from a common ancestor.
They have an efficient and elementary digestive arrangement.
Dogs, wolves and lions are social cannibal animals.

Also read: Differences between Herbivores and Carnivores

Larn more about herbivorous and carnivorous animals, their classifications, characteristics features, examples, and other related topics atBYJU'South Biology

Frequently Asked Questions

How are herbivores different from carnivorous animals?

Herbivores are the animals that feed simply on plants or plant products. For eg., cows, goats buffaloes, etc. Carnivorous animals, on the other manus, feed on other animals for nutrition. King of beasts, tiger, leopards are cannibal animals.

Are amoebae classified as carnivores or herbivores?

Ameobae are classified neither as carnivores nor herbivores. They are classified every bit omnivores. This is because amoeba feeds on a variety of nutrient sources such every bit microorganism and plants.

Why are humans classified as omnivores?

The human are classified as omnivores. Omnivores are organisms that feed on different types of food of plant and animal origin. Humans consume dissimilar varieties of plant and animal nutrient products and are hence considered every bit omnivores.

What are the distinguishing features of carnivorous animals that help them to feed on other animals?

The cannibal animals are provided with powerful jaws and extremely sharp teeth to impale their casualty and tear the mankind autonomously. They have stiff claws that help them to capture their prey.

Why are herbivorous animals known as ruminants?

The herbivores lack the enzyme to break downward cellulose found in plants. The plants they eat get accumulated in a special compartment in their breadbasket called rumen. Here the cellulose gets partially digested by the leaner forming a cud.

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Source: https://byjus.com/biology/carnivores-herbivores/