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

• Herbivore