Omnivorous describes animals that eat both plants and other animals. Bears are omnivorous: they catch fish and hunt small mammals, but they also eat berries, roots, and honey. Humans are omnivorous too. Unlike carnivores (meat-eaters like lions) or herbivores (plant-eaters like deer), omnivores have flexible diets that let them survive in many different environments.

This flexibility gives omnivores a real advantage. When one food source becomes scarce, they can switch to another. A raccoon might feast on insects one week and raid someone's vegetable garden the next. Pigs, chickens, and most primates are also omnivorous.

You might hear someone described as having omnivorous reading habits, meaning they read everything from comics to history books to science fiction. In this sense, omnivorous suggests curiosity and a hunger to consume many different types of something, not just food.