Year 3 Science: Other animals and what they eat
Part of the Year 3 Science food and nutrition chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Other animals and what they eat
Animals, including humans, all need nutrition. But they do not all eat the same food. Each animal eats the food that gives it the nutrition it needs.
| Animal | What it eats | Name for what it eats |
|---|---|---|
| rabbit | grass, hay and leafy greens | herbivore |
| cow | grass and hay | herbivore |
| cat | meat and fish | carnivore |
Scientists have names for animals, based on what they eat:
- a herbivore eats only plants;
- a carnivore eats only meat or fish;
- an omnivore eats both plants and food from animals.
Humans are omnivores. We eat plants, and we also eat foods from animals, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods.
Key ideas
- Animals eat different food, and each one gets the nutrition it needs from its own food.
- A herbivore eats only plants.
- A carnivore eats only meat or fish.
- An omnivore eats both plants and food from animals.
- Humans are omnivores.
Method. Find the cow in the table.
- Read the table. The table says a cow eats grass and hay.grass and hay
- Name the food. The cow mainly eats grass.grass
- Write the answer. grass
Check. A cow is a herbivore. ✓
Method. Read what each animal eats in the table.
- Read the rabbit. A rabbit eats grass, hay and leafy greens, so it eats plants.rabbit: plants
- Read the cat. A cat eats meat and fish.cat: meat and fish
- Write the answer. cat
Check. The cat is a carnivore. ✓
Method. Compare the food in the table.
- Read the rabbit. A rabbit eats plants.plants
- Read the cat. A cat eats meat and fish, which are not plants.meat and fish
- Write the answer. no
Check. Different animals eat different food. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a cat is not a herbivore. A cat needs meat or fish, so giving it only plants would not give it the nutrition it needs.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). With a grown-up, look at a pet’s food packet, or a picture of an animal from a book. Read what it eats. Do not feed any animal without asking a grown-up first. Wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What does a cow eat? What does a cat eat? Are they the same?” Let your child say the words herbivore, carnivore and omnivore.
Exercise 5E Other animals and what they eat
Method. Look at the cow in the table.
- Read the table. The table says a cow eats grass and hay.grass
- Write the answer. grass
Check. Cows eat plants. ✓
Method. Look at the cat in the table.
- Read the table. The table says a cat eats meat and fish.meat or fish
- Write the answer. meat or fish
Check. A cat needs meat or fish to get the nutrition it needs. ✓
Method. Check which animal eats plants.
- Read the table. The cow eats grass and hay, which are plants. The cat eats meat and fish.cow
- Write the answer. cow
Check. The cow is a herbivore. ✓
Method. Read the names in the chapter.
- Find the name. An animal that eats only plants is a herbivore.herbivore
- Write the answer. herbivore
Check. A cow and a rabbit are herbivores. ✓
Method. Read the names in the chapter.
- Find the name. An animal that eats only meat or fish is a carnivore.carnivore
- Write the answer. carnivore
Check. A cat is a carnivore. ✓
Method. Read the names in the chapter.
- Find the name. An animal that eats both plants and food from animals is an omnivore.omnivore
- Write the answer. omnivore
Check. Humans are omnivores. ✓
Method. Think about the name for an animal that eats only plants.
- Read the sentence. A cow eats only plants, so it is a herbivore.herbivore
- Write the answer. herbivore
Check. A cow is a herbivore. ✓
Method. Think about the name for an animal that eats only meat or fish.
- Read the sentence. A cat eats only meat or fish, so it is a carnivore.carnivore
- Write the answer. carnivore
Check. A cat is a carnivore. ✓
Method. Read the label beside the leafy greens.
- Find the greens. The leafy greens are beside the rabbit.beside the rabbit
- Name the animal. So the rabbit eats leafy greens.rabbit
- Write the answer. rabbit
Check. Rabbits eat plants such as grass and leafy greens. ✓
Method. Find the fish in the picture.
- Find the fish. The fish is beside the cat.beside the cat
- Name the animal. So the cat has a fish beside it.cat
- Write the answer. cat
Check. A cat is a carnivore. ✓
| Animal | What it eats | Name for what it eats |
|---|---|---|
| rabbit | grass, hay and leafy greens | herbivore |
| cow | grass and hay | herbivore |
| cat | meat and fish | carnivore |
Method. Look at the column called what it eats.
- Read the table. The rabbit eats grass, hay and leafy greens. The cow eats grass and hay. Both eat plants.rabbit and cow
- Check the cat. The cat eats meat and fish, so it is not one of the two.not the cat
- Write the answer. rabbit and cow
Check. Only the cat eats meat and fish. ✓
Method. Think about what a cat eats.
- Think about the cat. A cat is a carnivore, and it eats meat or fish.carnivore
- Give the reason. So carrots alone would not give it the nutrition it needs.not enough
- Write the answer. Accept any answer that says a cat needs meat or fish to get the nutrition it needs, not only plants.
Check. Different animals need different food. ✓