What animals eat cacti in the desert, and how do they eat it?

Jackrabbits (the ones with the large ears) eat prickly pear, particularly at the base of the plant where there are few or no spines. Javelinas (a piglike animal, like a small version of the wild boar of european forests) eat prickly pears, too, spines and all! Packrats devour them too, nibbling around spines. read more

Javelinas (a piglike animal, like a small version of the wild boar of european forests) eat prickly pears, too, spines and all! Packrats devour them too, nibbling around spines. Birds go for the juicy fruits of saguaros (the big columnar cactus), as well as countless insects. read more

Reptiles eat cacti and their flowers. The collared peccary, a type of hog, eats the prickly pear cactus. The jackrabbit normally eats grasses, but it will eat cacti during droughts. read more

Some of the animals that eat cactus include the pack rat, pocket mouse, Gila woodpecker and the long-nosed bat. One cactus — the Saguaro cactus — has a smooth and waxy skin that is covered with 2-inch spikes; the different areas providing sustenance for different animals. read more