Animals prefer different kinds of dietary profiles, however, there are many animals that rely on bamboo as a significant part of their diet. Bamboo is an amazing grass that is known for its fast growth and woody, hollow stem. Here is the list of animals that eat Bamboo,
Animals that eat Bamboo
1. Giant Panda
Giant Panda is one of the primary animals that eat bamboo since bamboo represents 99% of the panda’s diet. It belongs to the family of different types of bears and it is a symbol of peace in China. Pandas have seven times bigger teeth than humans which will help them chewing bamboo. The skin color of pandas is black under the black fur and pink under the white fur. Scientists are still trying to figure out the coloration of pandas in such a unique way. They will climb trees at a very early age and will become proficient in time. These fluffy animals don’t hibernate like other bears. It is also listed as one of the dumbest animals in the world.
2. Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee is one of the popular forest animals from Africa who are highly endangered animals because of loss of habitat and increased commercial hunting. They use complicated sounds to communicate and even exchange kisses, hugs, and touches in their community. The animal species used to spend nights in the nests of the trees which are made up of leaves and branches. Chimpanzees are often seen arranging games in groups when they are bored.
3. Golden Monkey
Golden monkeys are types of monkeys that are endemic to regions of fruit and bamboo, trekking in between the rainy and sunny seasons. They are social animals who are always seen in groups of 30 to 80 individuals, however, groups vary in size according to the altitudes of their habitats. These monkeys sleep in groups of four in the bamboo thick areas that provide them shelter in the higher altitude areas. The relationship of golden monkeys are polygynous relationships where the male monkey in the group mates with all the females.
4. Bamboo Lemur
The Bamboo Lemur is also one of the animals that eat bamboo that is over five pounds or nearly 2.5 kilograms. The body length is between 40 to 45 cm and the average wieght is between 2 to 2.4 grams. Talking about the appearance, they have greyish-brown fur, white ear tufts and a head-body length is approximately one and a half feet. The average age lifespan of Bamboo Lemur is up to 17 years in the wild. They can be easily identified with the help of white tufts on their ears.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. Gorilla
Gorilla is one of the famous animals that live in forests and as of now, three subspecies are known to humans namely Western Lowland, Eastern Lowland, and Mountain gorillas. They inhabit different parts of Africa, however, they are critically endangered species because tier numbers have reduced drastically in the last century because of habitat loss, hunting, pet and zoo trade, and diseases. They can stand in an upright position but they generally walk using all four extremities.
6. Bamboo Borer
Bamboo Borer is a beetle species native to Asia. It is the smallest species in the family Bostrichidae where adults can measure between 3 to 4 mm in length. Talking about appearance, they are short, stout, and usually come in a dark reddish brown color and the body shape is cylindrical in nature. They have an antenna on the head which consists of a series of very short basal segments and 3 greatly enlarged, serrate end segments. The Latin name of the bamboo borer is Dinoderus minutus and the Latin family name is Bostrichidae.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Bamboo Worm
Bamboo Worms are the larvae of moths that belong to the family Crambidae. They are mostly seen in the bamboo grooves and feast on the fresh inner pulp of the bamboo plants. One of the animals that eat bamboo has a similar appearance to regular moths and butterflies. The scientific name of the bamboo worm is Omphisa Fuscidentalis and classified in the insect order known as Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The body length is between 3.5 to 4 cm and the average lifespan of bamboo worms is upto 2 months in the wild.
Image source: Wikimedia
8. Termite
Termites are one of the largest groups of insects that are believed to have existed on the planet for more than 250 million years. As of now, 2600 known species of termites are known to humans and they can be seen on all continents. These animals look like ants, however, they are closely related to cockroaches. Termites are numerous in numbers because of fast reproduction where large mounds can host over 3 million termites. They are being preyed on by many different animals such as anteaters, aardvarks, aardwolfs, pangolins, echidnas, birds and large bugs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Bamboo Partridge
Bamboo partridge also known as ridge partridge is a medium-sized non-migratory bird that belongs to the family Phasianidae. They are mostly seen in Bangladesh, Tibet, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The breeding season includes the summer months between March and September. The nest is made up of a simple scraped-out dip in the ground lined with grass. The primary diet includes a wide variety of seeds, berries, shoots, and invertebrates.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals that belong to the mammals known as Lagomorphs. They are visible on all continents except Antarctica. The size ranges and they can reach upto 16 inches in length and the average wieght is between 2 to 3 pounds. Rabbits live in groups known as “warrens” and have a lot of predators such as hawks, eagles, raccoons, and foxes. They are seen eating their own night droppings (called cecotropes) because they are rich in proteins. The average lifespan of rabbits is upto 1 year in the wild and up to 10 years in captivity.
These are the animals that eat Bamboo. Kindly share and post your comments.
