Table of Contents
A frugivore is an animal whose diet consists mainly of fruit, relying on fleshy, seed-bearing plants for most of its energy and nutrition.
Phonetics (IPA): /ˈfruːdʒɪvɔːr/
Definition of frugivore
A frugivore is an animal that feeds primarily on fruit. Many birds, bats, primates, and other mammals are frugivores, obtaining most of their calories from ripe or semi-ripe fruits rather than leaves, seeds, or meat.
Synonyms and antonyms of frugivore
Video of Frugivore
Frugivore in context
In tropical rainforests, the hornbill is a classic frugivore, traveling long distances in search of fig trees and other fruiting plants. As it feeds, it swallows seeds whole, later depositing them far from the parent tree.
Conservation biologists often monitor frugivore populations to understand forest health. When frugivores decline, seed dispersal patterns change, and young trees may cluster too closely together, making the ecosystem more vulnerable to disease, drought, and habitat disturbance.
Even in urban parks, you can observe frugivore behavior. Fruit-eating birds and bats gather around berry bushes and ornamental trees, consuming the fruit and unintentionally planting new saplings through their droppings, quietly reshaping the landscape over time.
Parts of speech of frugivore
- Noun: frugivore
- Adjective: frugivorous
Origin of frugivore
The word frugivore comes from French frugivore, itself formed from Latin frūgi- (“fruit, produce”) and the combining form -vore (“eater”). It entered English in the 19th–20th centuries, especially in zoological and ecological contexts.
