Frugivores are animals whose diet is primarily composed of fruit, though many species occasionally consume other plant parts, like nuts, seeds, roots, and shoots. They also sometimes supplement their diet with insects.
Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores are, in fact, estimated to be frugivores.[1] They are equipped with large, spatulate incisors (flattened, shovel-shaped) specialized for slicing fruit skin. Moreover, their molars are bunodont, characterized by low, rounded cusps, which help grind soft fruit tissues.[2]
Many frugivorous birds possess simplified digestive tracts with short intestines, which allow the quick passage of consumed fruit through the gut. This rapid digestion of fruit also ensures that most ingested seeds remain viable for germination after being excreted.[3]
The table below presents examples of animals that consume fruits as a significant part of their diet.
| Animal Group | Subgroup | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Chordates | Mammals | Primates: Chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gibbons, Western gorillas, monkeys (spider, howler, Capuchin, & owl monkeys, as well as some tamarins and marmosets), lemurs (red-ruffed, ring-tailed, & black lemurs, among others) Bats: Fruit bats Rodents: Agoutis, pacas, acouchis, squirrels (red-bellied, plantain, & Mexican gray squirrels, among others), spiny rats (Tome’s spiny rat & Boyacá spiny rat, among others) Marsupials: Kangaroos (musky-rat kangaroos & tree kangaroos), cuscuses, brushtail possums (common & mountain brushtail possums, among others) Proboscideans: Elephants |
| Birds | Toucans, fruit doves, barbets, green pigeons, hornbills, cotingas, aracari, cassowaries, turacos, bulbuls, birds-of-paradise, tanagers (azure-shouldered, silver-beaked, & bay-headed tanagers, among others), Baltimore orioles, rose-ringed & Alexandrine parakeets, Asian & Pacific koels, some parrots | |
| Fish | Some pacus, like tambaqui (seasonally) | |
| Amphibians | Izecksohn’s Brazilian treefrog | |
| Reptiles | Lizards (Fiji, green, rock, & desert iguanas, crested geckos, among others), tortoises (yellow & red-footed tortoises, & Chaco tortoises, among others) | |
| Arthropods | Insects | Fruitflies, common fruit-piercing moths, honey bees, sap beetles, some weevils (larval stage), & butterflies |
| Mollusks | Gastropods | Common garden snails |
These animals play a crucial role in increasing plant diversity by dispersing seeds over long distances.[4]
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