Which perissodactyls mainly browse on leaves and shoots?

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Within the order Perissodactyla, several groups are classified as browsers, meaning they primarily feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs rather than grass.1

  • Tapirs: These animals are browsers that inhabit deep forests or swamps. They use their specialized snouts—formed by the fusion of the upper lip and a short proboscis—to pluck leaves and twigs.12
  • Rhinoceroses: Most rhinoceros species are browsers. They use their forelimbs to break down trees and shrubs and utilize their lips to reach otherwise inaccessible leaves and twigs. Notably, most rhinoceroses possess a pointed upper lip with a fingerlike process specifically adapted for plucking this vegetation. (The white rhinoceros is a notable exception, as it is a specialized grazer with a broad, square muzzle adapted for feeding on grass.)1
  • Extinct Groups: Certain fossil perissodactyls, such as the brontotheres and the anchitheres (a subfamily of early horses), are also identified as browsers.3