Herbivores vs Carnivores | Important Differences in 15 Points

Herbivores are the animals that rely on vegetation for food. In contrast, carnivores depend on other animals for their food needs. However, there are many other variations.

Herbivores vs Carnivores

Sl.NoCharacteristicsHerbivoresCarnivores
1NomenclatureThe term ‘herbivores’ comes from the Latin word ‘herba’ means green plants. Herbivores are plant eatersThe term carnivores come from the Latin word ‘carni’ means
flesh. Basically, carnivores are flesh-eating animals
2FoodHerbivores are those animals
whose primary food is green
plants or vegetation.
Carnivores are those animals who consume the flesh of other
animals as their food.
3TeethHerbivores possess flat, spade-
like canines and dull, short
incisors that help them to grind
plant leaves, seeds, and grains.
The herbivores have small mouth openings, which only resists these animals from eating plants and grains.
The mouth opening is relatively
smaller than the size of their
skulls.
4Mouth size Excretion is through the kidneys and produces moderately concentrated urine.The mouth opening in carnivores is larger and has a relatively
bigger ratio than their skull size.
5ChewingHerbivores undergo extensive
chewing to grind well the high
fiber plant food.
Carnivores undergo less chewing and can swallow the food as a
whole.
6Salivary enzymes The saliva of herbivores hosts
carbohydrate digesting enzymes
to break large lumps of rich
carbohydrate food.
The saliva of carnivores does not have any digestive enzymes.
7Digestive tractThe digestive tract of herbivores is longer than carnivores. This is because of the presence of a large amount of fiber in the diet, which is complex to digest.The digestive tract of carnivores is typically short and simple due
to the fact that meat is easily digested.
8Stomach type The stomach is either simple or has multiple chambers, e.g.,
ruminant animals.
The stomach is simple here
9Stomach capacity The stomach of herbivores
comprises less than 30% of the total volume of the digestive tract.
The stomach of carnivores comprises 60%-70% of the total volume of the digestive tract.
10ExcretionExcretion is through the kidneys but produces extensively concentrated urine.The facial muscles in herbivores are well-developed.
11Facial muscles The jaws of herbivores are in
expanded angle.
The facial muscles of carnivores are reduced to allow a larger mouth opening.
12Jaw typeThe jaw motion has no shear and has motion from side to side and front to back.The carnivore’s jaws are angled but not expanded.
13Jaw movementsThe herbivores have small mouth openings, which only resist these animals from eating plants and grains.
The mouth opening is relatively
smaller than the size of their
skulls.
The jaw motion has shear, and the motion is minimal. Only side-to-side motion is present.
14NailsHerbivores have flattened nails
and blunt hooves
Carnivores have razor-sharp claws instead of hooves to tear apart their prey’s skin and hold it firmly.
15Examples of animalsDeer, cows, goats, elephants,
horses, giraffes, pandas, sheep, mules, etc.
Cats, lions, tigers, toads, snakes, crocodiles, dogs, hyenas, jackals, wolves, etc.
Herbivores vs Carnivores
Herbivores vs Carnivores

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