What did you eat today? Maybe fruit, bread, cheese or chicken. Animals eat different things, too. Scientists sort them by what they eat.
Key idea
Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eat other animals. Omnivores eat both.
Why it works
An animal's teeth or beak give a clue. Wide, flat teeth grind plants. Sharp, pointed teeth tear meat. Animals that eat both often have some of each kind.
Worked example: Let's think it through
A cow is huge and strong. Is it a meat-eater?
- What does a cow eat all day? Grass.
- Grass is a plant.
- Being big does not make an animal a meat-eater.
Answer: No. A cow is a plant-eater, an herbivore.
Common mistake
Children often think every big or scary-looking animal eats meat. Elephants, gorillas, cows and camels are big plant-eaters. And a bear, with its sharp claws, eats lots of berries and nuts as well as fish.
For the grown-up. People are omnivores too: we can eat plants and animals. Some families choose to eat no meat, and that is a choice people make, not a different kind of body.