You now that green plants make their own food. But animals can’t food in this way. So they depend on plants for their food. Animals have different ways to get their food. Some animals feed directly on plants, while the others eat these animals. Some other animals eat both plants and flesh.

Plant eating animals are called herbivorous animals. They have no difficulty in finding their food, because in most places plants grow in plenty. Squirrels, horses, cows, goats, seeps are herbivorous animals.

All animals require food. The food depends upon the work they do, and the body parts they use for eating. It also depends on the surroundi9ngs in which they live.

Cows, buffaloes and goats give us milk. They need grass and oil cakes to give us more milk. Horses and oxen work. They need food which gives them a lot of energy and builds up their bodies. Grass and pulse are good for them. Birds like hens, duck, pigeons, sparrow which lay eggs are given body building food like grains, pulse and insects.

Flesh eating animals are called carnivorous animals. Lion, tiger cat and dog are carnivorous animals. Snakes, lizards, owls and vultures are also carnivorous animals.

Some animals eat both flesh and plant. They are called omnivorous animals. Man is omnivorous. Carnivorous animals like dogs and cats have also learned to eat plant products. But wild carnivorous animals never eat plants.

Animals have special kinds of body parts to deal with their food. They eat different food in different ways. The shapes of the mouth, the jaws, and the tongue tell us the kind of food they eat.

Plant eating animals

Animals like cow and horse have sharp front teeth. They are flat and broad. This helps them to cut grass and plants. The beck teeth are strong and broad. This helps them to chew their food.

Some eating grass eating animals like the cows and buffaloes bite the grass or leaves. They swallow them quickly, when they relax, they bring the swallowed food back into their mouth from their stomach. Then they chew it well. This is called chewing the cud. These animals are called cud chewing animals or ruminants.

Flesh eating animals

Fleshing eating animals usually have long and pointed front teeth. They help to grip the food and tear it. They have a set of back teeth. These are very sharp. They are meant to cut the meat they eat. They eat chew the meat and bones with these teeth.

Rodents

Rats and squirrels eat plants, grass seeds, grain and fruits. They have a pair of extra sharp teeth in the front. These are self sharpening. When the upper and lower teeth rub against each other, they get sharpened. This process is called gnawing. Animals which gnaw are called rodents.