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frugivore
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Close-up of a toucan with a large yellow and black bill holding a piece of fruit or nut in its beak, Amazon, Brazil. epauletted fruit bat
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Close-up of a toucan with a large yellow and black bill holding a piece of fruit or nut in its beak, Amazon, Brazil.
Toucan (family Ramphastidae) consuming a fruit or a nut, Amazon, Brazil.

frugivore

animal
Written by
John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...
John P. Rafferty
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

frugivore, any animal that subsists totally or primarily on fruit. Although the diets of many animals include fruits, many species practice frugivory exclusively. Such animals include several species of bats, such as the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and a number of flying foxes (Pteropus), many passerine birds, and some fish of family Characidae. Frugivory is thought to have evolved as a mutualism to facilitate seed dispersal in plants. In general, an animal benefits by...

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