Hewan herbivora memakan tumbuhan. Sapi, rusa, kelinci, ulat, dan banyak burung termasuk dalam kategori ini. Bentuk tubuh mereka mencerminkan pola makan mereka. Gigi pipih untuk menggiling serat tumbuhan. Saluran pencernaan yang panjang untuk memecah selulosa. Beberapa, seperti sapi dan domba, memiliki perut multi-ruang yang menampung bakteri yang mampu mencerna bahan tumbuhan yang keras. Yang lain, seperti kelinci, memakan kotorannya sendiri untuk mengekstrak lebih banyak nutrisi pada proses pencernaan kedua.

Herbivores shape ecosystems. Grazing herds keep grasslands open by preventing shrubs and trees from taking over. Browsing animals like deer and elephants prune vegetation and create gaps that let light reach the forest floor. Without herbivores, many landscapes would change dramatically. Removing large grazers from the Serengeti would allow woody plants to spread and reduce habitat for the species that depend on open grass. Herbivores are also food for carnivores. Their populations rise and fall with the quality of the plants they eat and the pressure from predators.

Types of herbivores

• Grazers: eat grasses and low vegetation.
• Browsers: eat leaves, twigs, and shrubs.
• Frugivores: eat fruit.
• Nectarivores: eat nectar from flowers.

Herbivores are not passive. They influence which plants survive, where they grow, and how forests and grasslands are structured.