Many cacti are covered with dense spines that discourage animals from feeding on them. Some contains drugs and toxins that make them unpalatable. However, the prickly pear cactus is used as a food source by a number of animals, including the javelina.
some animals are accustomed to the cactus so it doesnt hurt them.
Cactus and dead animals.
No large animals that I am aware of eat the saguaro. The prickly pear cactus is usually the choice for many animals.
To injure animals that may be predators of the cactus, e.g. try to eat it! If an animal goes to eat the cactus, it will spike them and they will not eat it again. Also it absorbs and stores moisture from the air for the cactus, so it can be utilized in hot conditions.
desert tortouise
Yes, cactus comprises about 40% of the pronghorns' diet.Clarification:No large animals that I am aware of eat the saguaro. The prickly pear cactus is usually the choice for many animals, including the pronghorn.
Some animals have special rough mouths that protect them from the hard pointy needles of the cactus. Like, a collared pecary
Yes, roadrunners do eat cactus. They are omnivorous birds and have a diverse diet that includes fruits, seeds, insects, and small animals, including lizards and snakes that may live in or around cactus plants.
Animals that eat Saguaro cactus fruit include birds like Gila woodpeckers and white-winged doves, as well as mammals like coyotes and javelinas. These animals help disperse the cactus seeds, contributing to the Saguaro's reproductive cycle.
Javalina, deer, rabbits, and even humans eat cactus. Various birds eat the fruit of the Saguaro and Prickly pear. Insects, birds, and bats pollinate the cactus.
Few animals, if any, will attempt to eat a barrel cactus. They much prefer softer targets such as pickly pears.
I can't say with a definite answer...I'm sure that a animal could but seeing as the cactus grows on lava I can't Imagine very many animals wanting too...