We usually talk about animals coming from one of three food-eating categories: herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore. We should add one more category: insectivore.

Insectivores are mammals or animals that eat mostly insects. Of course, the name means "insect eater." Mammals like moles and shrews which live underground mainly find insects in their habitats.

Herbivores are mammals or animals that eat mainly plants. The word "herb" refers to plants. Deer and rabbits, for instance, eat grasses, twigs, and other plant material.

Carnivores are mammals or animals that eat mainly meat. Carnivora means "flesh-eater". Zoologists include only these animal families: dog, cat, bear, raccoon, and weasel. (Skunks and badgers belong to the weasel family.) Most animals which are commonly called carnivores also eat plant material. A good example is the coyote. (Although coyotes and bears are in the "order Carnivora," they are truly omnivores.) Some carnivores, like the bobcat, eat only meat. In order to hunt their prey, carnivores have eyes facing front. They have large slicing canines and heavy skulls. Their jaws moves up and down only, not side to side.

Omnivores are mammals or animals that eat both plants and animals. The prefix "omni" means "all." A coyote is a good example of an omnivore because it prefers to eat meat like ground squirrels and rabbits but will also eat cactus fruits, berries, and almost anything from your garbage can when it's hungry.

***Lagomorpha are rabbits, hares, and pikas. (They were once a part of the Rodentia order along with mice and squirrels.) Rabbits are different from rodents in that they have two sets of upper incisors. They also have spongy intertwined bone in their upper jaws to diperse or get rid of heat during running. Their incisors and molars grow throughout life.