Herbivore

Herbivores are animals whose diet is primarily composed of plant matter. Most species of butterfly and moth have a larval stage (the caterpillar) that is a herbivore. Many such caterpillars only have a very narrow range of food plants but other herbivores, such as locusts, eat a wide range of plants.

The brightly coloured larvae of the Mullein moth, Shargacucullia verbasci. Mullein moths are herbivores on the Great Mullein plant.

Other names for (or types of) Herbivore include:

• Phytophagous

Related terms

• Carnivore
• Caterpillar
• Coprophagous
• Detritivore
• Diplopoda
• Ecosystem
• Food plant
• Locust
• Omnivore

Related groups of terms

• General biology

See other words beginning with H