Animals can be put into groups based on the types of food they eat. Some animals called carnivores only eat meat.
Others are called ‘herbivores’. They only eat plants.
Animals that eat meat and plants are called ‘omnivores’.
Watch the video to learn more about animal groups and what they eat.
Watch how we group animals depending on what they eat.
VOICEOVER: "What types of food do animals eat?
Animals need to eat so they can stay alive because food is the main source of energy for all animals.
Different animals eat different types of food. We can group animals based on the types of food they like to eat.
For instance, there are some animals like rabbits, deer and horses that only eat plants. These animals are called herbivores. Herbi-vores.
Other animals, like otters, the tawny owl and the Scottish wildcat only eat meat. These animals are called carnivores. Carni-vores.
There are some animals that eat both meat and plants. These are called omnivores. Omni-vores. Foxes, hedgehogs and badgers are all omnivores.
As you can see, even though there are lots of animals in the animal kingdom, we can put them into three groups based on what they eat. Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat meat, and omnivores eat plants and meat. Simple."
Which animal is a carnivore - Sheep or Cat?

Cats only eat meat, so they are called carnivores.


Sheep only eat plants, so they are called herbivores.

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