3 STEM Herbivores are animals that eat only plants. Carnivores
are animals that eat only meat. In general, herbivores sleep
less than carnivores. For example, giraffes in the wild sleep
about of the day. In contrast, lions in the wild sleep about
of the day. Which animal is the herbivore? Use a benchmark
fraction to explain your thinking.

To determine which animal is the herbivore, we can use benchmark fractions. Here, represents the sleep duration of giraffes, while represents the sleep duration of lions. A benchmark fraction is an easy-to-understand fraction, like . Since (approximately 0.17) is significantly less than and (0.75), we can easily see that giraffes, by sleeping less, are the herbivores, while lions are the carnivores.

Another way to look at it is to remember the natural behaviors of these animals. Herbivores like giraffes need to be alert to avoid predators, hence their shorter sleep duration. In contrast, carnivores such as lions can afford longer sleep since they often rest in a safe territory after a successful hunt. This difference in sleep habits highlights the evolutionary adaptations of each animal based on their dietary needs and survival strategies!