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What do animals eat?

Animals are living things. This means that they need to get nutrition so that they can stay alive. While plants get their nutrition through their roots from the soil they are planted in, animals need to eat food to get theirs.

Not all animals eat the same foods though, animals all have different diets and eat all sorts of different things, but we can group them in three ways.

Carnivores

The name for animals that eat meat. Lions are an example of a carnivore. They hunt and eat other animals such as zebras, buffalos and antelopes.

Herbivores

Animals that eat plants are called herbivores. As they eat a diet of grass and clover, cows are classed as herbivores.

Omnivores

The name for animals that eat meat and plants. Rats eat plants, seeds, and fruit, as well insects and other animals. In fact, rats will eat almost anything!

Watch: What do animals eat?

Discover what different animals eat as Tyler from One Zoo Three introduces us to Gertrude and Lionel, the ring-tailed lemurs in the film below.

Fascinating food facts

• Animals need to eat to stay alive.

• Animals convert food into energy which helps them move and grow.

• The largest animal on Earth, the blue whale which is a carnivore, can eat up to six tons of krill a day.

• Koalas are herbivores, they mainly eat eucalyptus leaves.

• Badgers are omnivores, they eat both meat and plants to stay alive.

• Not all animals have the same teeth.

• Some birds, like seagulls, feed their young by regurgitation which means by being sick!

• Some animals, like sharks, can be both predators and prey in a food chain.

Did you know?

You can tell what type of food an animal eats by looking at what is inside its mouth.

If an animal has sharp, pointed teeth like a lion, then it is usually a meat eater.

An animal that eats meat is called a carnivore.

If it has flat teeth like a horse, then it is usually a plant eater.

If an animal has a mix of sharp and flat teeth then it probably eats both plants and meat.

An animal that eats plants is called a herbivore.

Important words

Carnivore – An animal that eats meat. Sharks, wolves and eagles are all carnivores.

Diet – What an animal eats and drinks.

Herbivore – An animal that eats plants. Cows, horses and rabbits are herbivores.

Omnivore – An animal that eats both meat and plants. Bears, crows, rats and mice are omnivores.

Predator – An animal that hunts and eats other animals. Badgers are predators and will hunt mice, rabbits and insects.

Prey – An animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals. Rabbits are prey for foxes.

Activity 1 – Identifying animals

Activity 2 – Quiz

Activity 3 – Match the animals to their food