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Herbivore is the anglicized form of a modern Latin coinage, herbivora, cited in Charles Lyell's 1830 Principles of Geology. [3] Richard Owen employed the anglicized term in an 1854 work on fossil teeth and skeletons. [3] Herbivora is derived from Latin herba 'small plant, herb' [4] and vora, from vorare 'to eat, devour'. [5]
Herbivory is of extreme ecological importance and prevalence among insects.Perhaps one third (or 500,000) of all described species are herbivores. [4] Herbivorous insects are by far the most important animal pollinators, and constitute significant prey items for predatory animals, as well as acting as major parasites and predators of plants; parasitic species often induce the formation of galls.
Foxgloves produce toxic chemicals including cardiac and steroidal glycosides, deterring herbivory. Plant defense against herbivory or host-plant resistance is a range of adaptations evolved by plants which improve their survival and reproduction by reducing the impact of herbivores. Many plants produce secondary metabolites, known as ...
The nutria (/ ˈ n juː t r i ə /) or coypu (/ ˈ k ɔɪ p uː /) (Myocastor coypus) [1] [2] is a herbivorous, [3] semiaquatic rodent from South America.Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, [4] Myocastor has since been included within Echimyidae, the family of the spiny rats.
The capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests, and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually live in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is hunted for its meat and hide and also for grease from its thick fatty skin. [3]
Gorillas are the largest living primates, reaching heights between 1.25 and 1.8 metres, weights between 100 and 270 kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 metres, depending on species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a silverback.
Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described, of which around 1.05 million are insects, over 85,000 are molluscs, and around 65,000 are vertebrates. It has been estimated there are as many as 7.77 million animal species on Earth. Animal body lengths range from 8.5 μm (0.00033 in) to 33.6 m (110 ft).
Arthropods (/ ˈɑːrθrəpɒd / ARTH-rə-pod) [22] are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (metameric) segments, and paired jointed appendages. In order to keep growing, they must go through stages of moulting, a ...