What Are Some Animals That Eat Grass?

Most herbivores, such as cows buffaloes, goats, sheep and deer, eat grass. Animals that live in the forest eat grass, twigs, plants and leaves. Horses eat hay, which is dry grass. Even insects such as grasshoppers eat grass. Elephants love to eat the bark of trees, but even elephants eat grass. Kangaroos eat grass while the Giant Panda prefers to eat bamboo shoots.

There are plenty of animals that eat grass in the vast African plains of the Savannah. Zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, antelopes and gazelles are all grass eaters. Birds such as chicken and turkeys also eat grass. However, not all herbivores eat grass. Some eat fruits and vegetables. Monkeys may nibble at grass, but they prefer to eat fruits and wild berries.

Grass forms the best form of nourishment for herbivores. Grass eaters are primary consumers and form the lower most rung in the food chain of herbivores. Solar energy is trapped in grass in the form of chemical energy through photosynthesis. Without grass, the Earth would look radically different.

Most carnivores never touch grass. However, sometimes dogs and cats may chew on grass.

Grass is not always easy to digest, and most herbivores regurgitate and chew the cud to extract maximum energy from their diet consisting mainly of grass and plants.

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