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Frugivore

A frugivore is an animal that feeds on fruit. Most vertebrate frugivores eat other foods in addition to fruits. Thus, many birds eat both fruits, such as wild berries, and insects (examples include the American Robin or the Cedar Waxwing) or seeds (e. g., Pesquet's Parrot ). Some mammals eat both fruits and animal prey. Mammalian frugivores include carnivores, primates and bats. Examples include the Kinkajou, the Gray-bellied Night Monkey, the Ring-tailed Lemur, and the White-headed Capuchin.

Frugivores that eat fruits without destroying the seeds may help the dispersal of fruiting plants.

People who consciously adopt a strictly frugivorous diet call themselves fructarians or fruitarians.



05-27-2008 11:01:51
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