Omnivores

Omnivores can use both plant and animal foods. This flexibility can help them obtain nutrients from different resources, although diets vary between species and seasons.

What is an omnivore?

An omnivore obtains food from both plant and animal sources. The balance varies: a species may rely mostly on one kind of food and eat the other only occasionally.

Examples include brown bears, pigs, raccoons and some squirrels, as well as invertebrates such as crayfish. Bear diets differ: polar bears, for example, eat mostly meat.

See also: carnivores, herbivores, domestic animals, wild animals, the Animals A–Z index and dog breeds.