Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Folivore
In Zoology, a folivore is an animal that specializes in eating leaves.
Examples of foliverous animals:
- Mammals: okapis, sloths, koalas and various species of monkey.
- Reptiles: Iguanas [1]
- Insects: various kinds of caterpillar
Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose and relatively little energy. For this reason folivorous mammals tend to have long digestive tracts and slow metabolisms. Many enlist the help of symbiotic bacteria to release the nutrients in their diet.
See also
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details