History Main / HerbivoresAreFriendly

This trope is not TruthInTelevision for the most part. Herbivores may attack a human to claim or defend their territory, protect their children, drive away a potential predator, or just because they’re in a bad mood. Indeed, the most dangerous large mammals in the world are actually big herbivores; the hippopotamus and the elephant are known to attack and kill humans even without being provoked. In North America, more people are killed by cattle each year than by [{{bears|AreBadNews}}, [[CatsAreMean mountain lions]], [[SnakesAreSinister venomous snakes]], [[ThreateningShark sharks]], and [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile alligators]] ''combined''. In other words, just because an animal won't ''eat'' you, doesn't mean it won't ''hurt'' you. Conversely, domesticated dogs and cats, both of whom are inclined to be friendly with humans, are inherently carnivorous. Many omnivores, such as the whale shark, are never a threat to humans.

Like PredatorsAreMean, this trope has been around for such a long time that it may be one of TheOldestOnesInTheBook. Herbivores Are Friendly often, but not always goes hand-in-hand with PredatorsAreMean.

This trope is not TruthInTelevision for the most part. Herbivores may attack a human to claim or defend their territory, protect their children, drive away a potential predator, or just because they’re in a bad mood. Indeed, the most dangerous large mammals in the world are actually big herbivores; the hippopotamus and the elephant are known to attack and kill humans even without being provoked. In North America, more people are killed by cattle each year than by [[BearsAreBadNews bears]], [[CatsAreMean mountain lions]], [[SnakesAreSinister venomous snakes]], [[ThreateningShark sharks]], and [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile alligators]] ''combined''. In other words, just because an animal won't ''eat'' you, doesn't mean it won't ''hurt'' you. Conversely, domesticated dogs and cats, both of whom are inclined to be friendly with humans, are inherently carnivorous. Many omnivores, such as the whale shark, are never a threat to humans.

Some herbivores ''are'' portrayed as threatening and aggressive on a fairly regular basis. [[FullBoarAction Boars]] (technically omnivorous), [[GruesomeGoat goats, rams]], [[BrutishBulls bulls]], [[HellishHorse stallions]], [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[CruelElephant elephants]], [[AngryAngryHippos hippopotamuses]], [[BoxingKangaroo kangaroos]], and [[KillerGorilla gorillas]] are especially prone to this. When dinosaurs are concerned, you can expect [[TemperCeratops ceratopsians]], [[HeadButtingPachy pachycephalosaurs]] (technically omnivorous), [[ToughArmoredDinosaur stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs]] to also be portrayed this way. On the subject of insects, expect this to be true of [[BeeAfraid bees]] and moreso [[TermiteTrouble termites]]. Another common exception, when herbivores are depicted as dangerous, is if they get involved in an AnimalStampede.

Goes hand-in-hand with and opposite of PredatorsAreMean. Inverted with XenophobicHerbivore. Often associated with CarnivoreConfusion. Subtrope to GoodAnimalsEvilAnimals, AlwaysLawfulGood, and VirtuousVegetarianism.

* Half of the plot points of ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'' is that the populace is convinced of this while also believing CarnivoresAreMean. Though the truth isn't as black and white.
* ''Manga/OumagadokiDoubutsuen'' subverts this trope with [[FunnyAnimal Rodeo, the humanoid horse]] in the Circus Arc: he embraces the theory that PredatorsAreMean to the point of petty racism, calling carnivores dumb and brutal and going all out on them: when [[GentleGiant Kisazou]], whom he previously respected as a fellow herbivore, tries to protect Uwabami (a snake-woman), Rodeo doesn't hesitate to mark him as an enemy too.
* Zigzagged in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'': most of the dangerous beasts they encounter are carnivorous and highly destructive, though the backstory of the [[SavageWolves Battle Wolf]] mentions how a colossal, herbivorous {{kaiju}} known as the "Death Gore" nearly destroyed all life on earth due to their insatiable appetite for whole forests. Played straight among the incredibly powerful Eight Kings: non carnivorous ones like Horse King Herakles and the Deer King Sky Deer are the least aggressive of the eight (though by no mean less dangerous...)

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Bad Guys|2022}}'': Professor Marmalade is introduced as this. In contrast to the [[PredatorsAreMean rough-natured predator species]] Bad Guys, Marmalade is an adorable, soft-spoken little guinea pig and also a beloved philanthropist. [[spoiler:Subverted; he's revealed to be EvilAllAlong and [[EvilerThanThou far worse than the Bad Guys ever were]], willing to steal from children's charities and attempt murder.]]
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife''. The protagonists are omnivorous ants (though they're only shown eating plants), and their allies include predators such as a mantis, a ladybug, and a spider. The villains, by contrast, are herbivorous grasshoppers.
* Another dinosaur example is the movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}''. The main characters are all herbivores, and even the mean herbivore rivals are only trying to accomplish the greater good.
* The main dinosaur characters from ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime''. Chomper the friendly Sharptooth is an exception. In the sequels and TV series, an ''Oviraptor'' (an omnivorous dinosaur) named Ruby joins the heroes.

* Film/{{Mothra}} is among the most peaceful of all kaiju and happens to be a nectar-feeding butterfly/moth. So long as you don't kidnap her fairy companions or [[MamaBear harm her children in any way]], she won't hurt you. And if you ''do'', you'll find that she wrecks cities as well as any Kaiju.
* A subversion occurs with Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Junior. Though he is shown eating leaves in ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII'', his species is actually carnivorous. Though, compared to his more aggressive father, he is quite friendly.

** ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' [[spoiler: averts this trope, though mainly not with the dinosaurs. While the carnivorous dinosaurs are a major threat to the heroes, the danger to civilization as a whole actually comes from genetically engineered locusts created by [=BioSyn=], which are devouring food plants around the world.]] For the aversion on dinosaur side, we have ''Therizinosaurus'', which, while herbivorous, kills a deer that gets in its way and actively pursues the human protagonists for no clear discernable reason. Notably, it was the first time a herbivore was PlayedForHorror in the franchise, no differently from the carnivores.

* ''Literature/RingWorld'': Averted in practice -- the herbivorous Puppeteers are collectively ruthless, paranoid and deceitful, while Pak protectors are xenophobic killing machines who eat nothing but tree roots -- but the Kzinti are under the cultural bias that anything that isn't a carnivore is inherently weak, cowardly, and/or stupid; "you don't need brains to sneak up on a leaf!" They've faced many nasty subversions to this expectation throughout the series; Puppeteers, Pak, the "grass giants" on Ringworld, humanity, and so on.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' often shows this. Squirrels (technically omnivores, but mostly eat plants), hares, and other herbivores, and a few omnivores such as badgers, mice, and hedgehogs, are the heroes, where wholly carnivorous species such as weasels, stoats, wild cats, snakes, hawks, ferrets, foxes (actually omnivorous, but still predatory), and the like are the villains. This is rather odd considering the fact that the most prominent species, the mice of Redwall, are omnivores but never eat any meat besides fish. One would reason that they never eat any intelligent creatures, but there has been at least one intelligent talking fish in the series.
* ''Literature/PrinceRoger'': Discussed in ''March Upcountry'': Captain Pahner sees a large herbivore on an unfamiliar planet and tells his troops not to fire. Prince Roger shoots the thing anyway, because he has actually been on safari and knows that herbivores are not harmless (and because he hadn't figured out the com software yet and hadn't heard the order).
* ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'': Played around with. In the first set of books, the ''Leptoceratopses'' abduct Candayce and shove Janine around, and Candayce figures out that they were trying to protect her -- she's in the body of a ''Leptoceratops'' and they don't understand why she's hanging out with a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex''. Similarly, when they encounter a ''Triceratops'' herd, it is hostile in defense of its nests, but is less so later, realizing that a little ''Leptoceratops'' and a wounded ''Quetzalcoatlus'' aren't threats. The ''Ankylosaurus'' met later on is friendly to the boy in the ''Ankylosaurus'' body, but wary at best of all the others.

* Played with in one Choose Your Own Adventure-style book. Your character is a member of the SpacePolice hunting an outlaw who's captured rare creatures, and the outlaw turns your android partner against you. You have the choice of opening one of two cages- a carnivorous animal or an herbivorous one. If you open the carnivore's cage, you'll be eaten. If you open the herbivore's cage, the android will preemptively attack it, resulting in it fighting back and enabling you to gain the upper hand.

* ''Literature/QuestForFire'' plays this straight with the cave bear and giant apes but averts it hard with the aurochs who are just plain nasty. The mammoths are portrayed more complexly: They are easily befriended by the human protagonists because they have no fear of predation but they can be downright lethal if provoked.
* Inverted with a vengeance in ''Literature/TheLostFleet''. The bear-cows are a herbivore race whose fear of predators manifests as omnicidal mania. Meanwhile, the obviously predatory dancers are quite reasonable and more than willing to engage in diplomacy and trade as soon as the translation problems that make both sides come across as oddly patronizing are worked out.
* ''Literature/TheDinosaurLords'': Subverted, the titular dinosaur mounts are most often herbivores (hadrosaurs, parasaurolophus, pachycephalosaurus, etc.), but no less deadly for it. There are some carnivore mounts, and Deinonychus are used in a manner similar to hunting dogs, but they tend to be AwesomeButImpractical.
** One such subversion helps kick off the plot: to counter Karyl's otherwise-invincible Triceratops line, Rob sends a herd of Ankylosaurs their way. It's specifically stated that they'll eagerly fight due to being natural competitors for territory and pasture, not to mention being very good at killing each other (triceratops by flipping the ankylosaurs over with their horns, ankylosaurs by smashing the triceratops' legs).

* The herbivore dinosaurs in ''Series/TerraNova'' are shown to be playful in the pilot episode. The main character's youngest daughter even feeds them leaves.
* Spoofed in ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'' as the herbivores are presented as dinosaur versions of hippie pacifists and marijuana users, which becomes a problem when the son Robbie (think Lisa Simpson's version of the series) becomes an herbivore.

* Mix with OurWerebeastsAreDifferent in ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': all the herbivore-based Wesen like the turtle-like Genio Inocuo and the [[SweetSheep sheep-like Seelengut are essentially harmless.]]
* Inverted in ''Series/{{Dinosapien}}''. The protagonist is an evolved dromaeosaur, while the antagonists are evolved pachycephalosaurs.
* In ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', a Scutosaurus is considered harmless in the first season because he is an herbivore. However, a few episodes later, he tramples and kills some men who attacked him.

* Some Christian sects in the United States, such as those behind the Creation Museum (Answers in Genesis) believe that this was the literal truth of life on Earth pre-Fall. It's stated that animals before the Fall were friendly herbivores (one diorama depicts a ''T. rex'' chomping on pineapples) and that predation and carnivorism, being based in violence and killing, are by-products of the Fall. The Texas-based Creation Evidence Museum believes the pre-Fall atmosphere made creatures live longer, made them more intelligent and thus made them nicer. This has proven contentious, even among creationists.

* ''TabletopGame/TheUnofficialHollowKnightRPG'' has this in-universe: A character with the Herbivore trait gains a small bonus to their Cute score, making them better at social interactions where they need to appear friendly and non-threatening. This doesn't necessarily mean that the character ''is'' friendly or non-threatening, just that they're more readily perceived as such by others than they would be if they ate meat.

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'': while most herbivores don't mind you unless you provoke them, many will fight back once provoked, and ''Therizinosaurus'' and ''Kentrosaurus'' will attack you just for being too close. Played laughably straight with ''Diplodocus'', as its only "attack" is to harmlessly nudge its target, and the Dino Dossier spells out that it's trying to play ([[TooDumbToLive even with predators]]). It doesn't even ''have'' an attack stat.
** The ''Amargasaurus'' of the Lost Island DLC map is [[AvertedTrope actively aggressive]], and part of its taming requires you to help it battle its enemies (without becoming one of them!).
* Inverted and played straight in ''VideoGame/DinosaurKing'' where while the heroes normally use herbivorous dinosaurs, one exception is a ''Carnotaurus''.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/DinoSystem'' Unless attacked, most herbivores are usually quite placid and ignore the player. Which can make it all the more surprising during survivor mode when a calm male ''Triceratops'' enters breeding condition and suddenly starts trying to kill the human survivor.
* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/DontStarve''; beefalo are aggressive during mating season (when their hindquarters turn red), but otherwise neutral. If you attack one, all beefalo in the area will fight back.

* Downplayed with the gurns, druffalo and brontos in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They won't attack if they aren't provoked, but they'll fight tooth and nail if wounded.

* ZigZagged in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series. Most herbivores, like Aptonoths, really are friendly and peaceful. However, the Kestodons and Gastodons from ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'' or Bullfangos in the rest of the series will attack if you linger near them for too long. And some of the large monsters are herbivores, like Diablos, which is [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom anything but friendly]]. It subsists on cacti yet is one of the most aggressive monsters introduced in Low Rank, being in fact one of the postgame bosses in [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 its debuting game]] (as it's found after FinalBoss Monoblos).
* Most of the dinosaurs shown in ''VideoGame/PaleoPines''[='=]s pre-release footage have been herbivores, and they're all easily approachable and willing to help humans. However, the carnivores completely avert CarnivoresAreMean by being just as friendly and approachable to humans.

* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' has creatures evolving. The first two stages (Cell and Creature) are spent deciding on a creature's diet. Later stages have the creatures evolved more, with their own moralities. Herbivores tend to be nice and social, carnivores tend to be hostile, while omnivores tend to be neutral and economic. ''Spore'' plays with this somewhat. When you advance to a new stage, you get bonuses and special abilities depending on how you spent the previous ones. Killing and eating your rivals would tend to give you combat bonuses when you acquired sapience, while socializing with other species and eating plants would give you social abilities instead. So if you began your evolution as a carnivore, you were encouraged to develop into a warlike civilization, while herbivores would be encouraged to play peacefully. However, you could defy this by simply not making use of your bonuses in the Tribal and Civilization stages.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}''. The Ghost Leviathan is ''extremely'' aggressive. Turns out, it's a filter-feeder that eats plankton. It's just ''that'' territorial. [[spoiler: Played straight, [[InterspeciesFriendship literally]], with the Sea Emperor.]]

* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' likes to subvert this often. Kevin and Kell's daughter is a rabbit that eats meat. Kevin himself is generally friendly, but is not above punching predators trying to eat him. In fact, for a mini-arc it ended up a problem for Kevin as one of predators sued him for "breach of nature, rabbits should run". [[spoiler:And was retorted "[[HoistByHisOwnPetard breach of nature]], predators should eat rather than sue".]] And it should be pointed out that Kevin's ex Angelique, genetically a rabbit (but posing as a rat), is one of the most vicious characters in the comic.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/when-herbivores-attack this]] chapter of ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings''. It depicts a man [[WrongGenreSavvy expecting this to be the case]], and getting stomped flat as a result. The page also shows some examples of highly aggressive herbivores in real life, such as the famous park ranger getting chased by a hippopotamus and a bullfighter getting gored.
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Double-subverted. When Xeno Team is approaching a group of large stick-like alien creatures that appear to be eating moss, Ebbirnoth warns the rest that herbivores can still be dangerous. And [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2013-06-15 then]] it turns out the big things are actually carnivorous, digging burrowing animals out of the moss.
-->'''Ebby:''' Let's just stick with "everything's dangerous until we've killed it."

* Something was said about this in the ''Literature/MagicSchoolBus'' episode where they went back in time and saw dinosaurs.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' {{Zig Zag|ged}}s it. Eliza easily makes friends with plenty of herbivorous animals, but she also encounters some realistically aggressive, such as hippos and water buffalo.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' often subvert this trope quite realistically.
** In "Little Big Mom", Lisa tried to approach a herd of deer because they look harmless, but when she gets close enough they turn ferocious and try to attack her.
** Lampshaded in "Four Women and a Manicure" when the Wicked Witch of Snow White mocks a group of cute woodlands critters, most of which are herbivores. [[CurbStompBattle The critters proceed to gang up and tear the witch apart as she screams in agony.]]
** Doubly subverted in a school video starring Troy [=McClure=] in "Lisa the Vegetarian",[[note]]you might remember from such videos as "2-3=Negative Fun" and "Firecrackers: The Silent Killer"[[/note]] where he convinces Bobby[[note]]Jimmy[[/note]] that it's okay to eat meat. [=McClure=] warns Jimmy that "if a cow had the chance he'd eat you and everyone you care about," as ominous music plays and the camera zooms in on a cow's face. However, the cow's face is so placid, that the idea of a threatening cow seems ludicrous.
** In "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", [[NestedStory Lisa's story-within-the-story]] has her encountering a goat in the forest, hoping it'll be friendly to a fellow herbivore, until it chases her into Mr. Burns' mansion. [[DoubleSubversion It turns out it was trying to bring back her necklace which she'd lost in the woods]].
** In "Simpson Safari", Lisa expresses disbelief at a hippo ''eating'' someone, subverting the trope.
* Marina's best friend in ''WesternAnimation/SabansAdventuresOfTheLittleMermaid'' is a seahorse (in a setting where all marine predator animals are evil). It should be noted that in reality, seahorses are predators, albeit of microscopic crustaceans and plankton.
* Both inverted and played straight in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' where Beshte the hippopotamus is the sole herbivore of the titular group as the rest are carnivores (Kion the lion, Fuli the cheetah, and Ono the egret) and an omnivore (Bunga the honey badger). Nonetheless, most of the show's villains are carnivores and it's guaranteed there will be villainous omnivores as well, but herbivores are invariably non-malicious and even ones that are ''not'' friendly can be reasoned with. Season 3 finally brings in some herbivore villains: the porcupine henchmen of Mama Binturong.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "Over A Barrel", Pinkie Pie invokes this trope when trying to broker peace between the ponies and buffalo in Appleloosa. Since her mediation takes the form of a sappy musical number, neither party is impressed.

* Species living in an environment without predators are indeed often very docile. The Dodo of Mauritius evolved on an island without predators and was noted for having no fear or aggression toward humans, who promptly ate them into extinction. Herbivorous species that are accustomed to the presence of predators, however, often avert this: while some herbivores will flee danger as a first resort, others can be very aggressive, and will often be the ones to attack first if threatened or surprised. Herbivores such as hippos, rhinos, bison and even cattle have well-deserved reputations for being dangerous to approach, and even deer can turn on you if you startle them.
* Ironically one of the few sizable herbivores to largely be this trope to some degree (other than manatees and capybaras) are gorillas, despite being [[KillerGorilla one of the chief exceptions to it]] in fiction. If not startled, attacked, threatened, or having their children harassed, they largely are docile and ambivalent towards humans and will go about their business. They can still be dangerous if agitated, especially a [[PapaWolf Silverback]] with his children or grandchildren in danger, but a majority of the time they much prefer to bluff-charge and scare a threat away than actually fight. Coincidentally, gorillas are also the most herbivorous of the apes and the meat they do eat mostly amounts to a few insects here and there.

* Some species of herbivore play this straight with ''each other'', roaming in multi-species herds. Usually this is a sign that their dietary preferences are slightly different (e.g. grass vs. shrubs), and that each species in the group has a different well-developed sense (scent, hearing, sight) with which to detect herd members' mutual predators. Less competition, more chance to pick up on danger that way.
* This trope is behind the Japanese "Carnivore/Herbivore" slang. "Herbivore" in this case refers to a docile person who plays the passive role in a relationship, though sometimes it's used as a pejorative in the "ExtremeDoormat" sense.

* In ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'', Cal believes that the plant-eating xenofauna are the "good guys", which is why he decides to his pet dillypillar Socks. [[ZigzaggingTrope But as Sol finds out in their expeditions]], not all herbivores on Vertumna docile, as some such as bushbubs become aggressive when provoked.

* ZigZagged in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series. Most herbivores, like Aptonoths, really are friendly and peaceful. However, the Kestodons and Gastodons from ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'' or Bullfangos in the rest of the series will attack if you linger near them for too long. And some of the large monsters are herbivores, like Diablos, which is [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom anything but friendly]]. It subsists on cacti yet is one of the most aggressive monsters introduced in Low Rank, being in fact one of the postgame bosses in [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 its debuting game]] (as it's found after FinalBoss Monoblos).
* Most of the dinosaurs shown in ''VideoGame/PaleoPines''[='=]s pre-release footage have been herbivores, and they're all easily approachable and willing to help humans. However, the carnivores completely avert CarnivoresAreMean by being just as friendly and approachable to humans.

* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' has creatures evolving. The first two stages (Cell and Creature) are spent deciding on a creature's diet. Later stages have the creatures evolved more, with their own moralities. Herbivores tend to be nice and social, carnivores tend to be hostile, while omnivores tend to be neutral and economic. ''Spore'' plays with this somewhat. When you advance to a new stage, you get bonuses and special abilities depending on how you spent the previous ones. Killing and eating your rivals would tend to give you combat bonuses when you acquired sapience, while socializing with other species and eating plants would give you social abilities instead. So if you began your evolution as a carnivore, you were encouraged to develop into a warlike civilization, while herbivores would be encouraged to play peacefully. However, you could defy this by simply not making use of your bonuses in the Tribal and Civilization stages.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' and ''VideoGame/FarCry4''. ''3'' has water buffalo that generally keep to themselves, but if you walk through their territory, they'll most likely chase you down and try to ram you. ''4'' has yaks which are pretty much just reskins of ''3'''s water buffalo, as well as rhinos and elephants. The rhinos basically act the same way as the yaks, only they're faster, tougher, and do a lot more damage. The elephants, on the other hand, will not bother you at all unless you attack them -- they'll even let you ride them, provided you have the necessary perk. However, once provoked, these elephants are ''very'' dangerous -- and you can use this to your advantage, pitting them against your enemies and even riding them into battle. Despite the subversion in ''Far Cry 3'', the binoculars identify animals as herbivore and predator, giving a clear distinction on which animals can attack. The identification is based on whether or not they're aggressive as opposed to their actual diet (e.g. Buffalo are tagged as predators).
* Mammoths in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' are mostly peaceful, just don't annoy them or their giant owners. Otherwise, it's played very straight: bears will attack you on sight; deer (which are covered on Real Life) flee from you on sight. Unless, of course, you have any active buff preventing animals from reacting to your presence.
* Downplayed with the gurns, druffalo and brontos in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They won't attack if they aren't provoked, but they'll fight tooth and nail if wounded.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}''. The Ghost Leviathan is ''extremely'' aggressive. Turns out, it's a filter-feeder that eats plankton. It's just ''that'' territorial. [[spoiler: Played straight, [[InterspeciesFriendship literally]], with the Sea Emperor.]]

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'': while most herbivores don't mind you unless you provoke them, many will fight back once provoked, and ''Therizinosaurus'' and ''Kentrosaurus'' will attack you just for being too close. Played laughably straight with ''Diplodocus'', as its only "attack" is to harmlessly nudge its target, and the Dino Dossier spells out that it's trying to play ([[TooDumbToLive even with predators]]). It doesn't even ''have'' an attack stat.
** The ''Amargasaurus'' of the Lost Island DLC map is [[AvertedTrope actively aggressive]], and part of its taming requires you to help it battle its enemies (without becoming one of them!).

* In ''VideoGame/{{Parkasaurus}}'', putting a vegetable into an egg's last two item slots will give the dinosaur that hatches the friendly trait.

* ''Webcomic/PetFoolery'': Subverted in the strip [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/pet-foolery/weak/viewer?title_no=691801&episode_no=86 "Weak"]], where two hungry dromaeosaurids are trying to pick out a weak target among several prey dinosaurs, only for every one they look at to have huge deadly-looking spikes or horns (one with a carnivore's skull still impaled on them). And this while one of the raptors was still recovering from an Iguanodon recently [[EyeScream gouging out one of their eyes]].

** ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' [[spoiler: averts this trope, though mainly not with the dinosaurs. While the carnivorous dinosaurs are a major threat to the heroes, the danger to civilization as a whole actually comes from genetically engineered locusts created by [=BioSyn=], which are devouring food plants around the world.]]
*** For the aversion on dinosaur side, we have ''Therizinosaurus'', which, while herbivorous, kills a deer that gets in its way and actively pursues the human protagonists for no clear discernable reason. Notably, it was the first time a herbivore was PlayedForHorror in the franchise, no differently from the carnivores.

Some herbivores ''are'' portrayed as threatening and aggressive on a fairly regular basis. [[FullBoarAction Boars]] (technically omnivorous), [[GruesomeGoat goats, rams]], [[BrutishBulls bulls]], [[HellishHorse stallions]], [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[CruelElephant elephants]], [[AngryAngryHippos hippopotamuses]], [[BoxingKangaroo kangaroos]], and [[KillerGorilla gorillas]] are especially prone to this. When dinosaurs are concerned, you can expect [[TemperCeratops ceratopsians]], [[HeadButtingPachy pachycephalosaurs]] (technically omnivorous), [[ToughArmoredDinosaur stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs]] to also be portrayed this way. On the subject of insects, expect this to be true of [[BeeAfraid bees]] and [[TermiteTrouble termites]] Another common exception, when herbivores are depicted as dangerous, is if they get involved in an AnimalStampede.

Some herbivores ''are'' portrayed as threatening and aggressive on a fairly regular basis. [[FullBoarAction Boars]] (technically omnivorous), [[GruesomeGoat goats, rams]], [[BrutishBulls bulls]], [[HellishHorse stallions]], [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[CruelElephant elephants]], [[AngryAngryHippos hippopotamuses]], [[BoxingKangaroo kangaroos]], and [[KillerGorilla gorillas]] are especially prone to this. When dinosaurs are concerned, you can expect [[TemperCeratops ceratopsians]], [[HeadButtingPachy pachycephalosaurs]] (technically omnivorous), [[ToughArmoredDinosaur stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs]] to also be portrayed this way. On the subject of insects, expect this to be true of [[BeeAfraid bees]]. Another common exception, when herbivores are depicted as dangerous, is if they get involved in an AnimalStampede.

* WebAnimation/JurassicParkHorror: {{Zig Zag|ged}}. The herbivores have shown to be just as dangerous as the carnivores.

Some herbivores ''are'' portrayed as threatening and aggressive on a fairly regular basis. [[FullBoarAction Boars]] (technically omnivorous), [[GruesomeGoat goats, rams]], [[BrutishBulls bulls]], [[HellishHorse stallions]], [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[CruelElephant elephants]], [[AngryAngryHippos hippopotamuses]], [[BoxingKangaroo kangaroos]], and [[KillerGorilla gorillas]] are especially prone to this. When dinosaurs are concerned, you can expect [[TemperCeratops ceratopsians]], [[HeadButtingPachy pachycephalosaurs]] (technically omnivorous), [[ToughArmoredDinosaur stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs]] to also be portrayed this way. Another common exception, when herbivores are depicted as dangerous, is if they get involved in an AnimalStampede.

Some herbivores ''are'' portrayed as threatening and aggressive on a fairly regular basis. [[FullBoarAction Boars]] (technically omnivorous), [[GruesomeGoat goats, rams]], [[BrutishBulls bulls]], [[HellishHorse stallions]], [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[CruelElephant elephants]], [[AngryAngryHippos hippopotamuses]], [[BoxingKangaroo kangaroos]], and [[KillerGorilla gorillas]] are especially prone to this. When dinosaurs are concerned, you can expect [[TemperCeratops ceratopsians]], [[HeadButtingPachy pachycephalosaurs]], [[ToughArmoredDinosaur stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs]] to also be portrayed this way. Another common exception, when herbivores are depicted as dangerous, is if they get involved in an AnimalStampede.

** Lisa expresses disbelief at a hippo ''eating'' someone, subverting the trope.

-->-- ''Film/JurassicPark1993''

Film/TempleGrandin's book, ''Animals in Translation'', explains that domesticated cattle can be a lot harder to handle compared to most felines (wild or domestic, big, small, or medium). A domestic bovine may attack a person in order to exert dominance or protect a calf, but a tiger will not do so unless its prey drive is triggered, as it is a largely solitary animal that, true to nature of all cats, does not care about social hierarchy.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys2022'': Professor Marmalade is introduced as this. In contrast to the [[PredatorsAreMean rough-natured predator species]] Bad Guys, Marmalade is an adorable, soft-spoken little guinea pig and also a beloved philanthropist. [[spoiler:Subverted; he's revealed to be EvilAllAlong and [[EvilerThanThou far worse than the Bad Guys ever were]], willing to steal from children's charities and attempt murder.]]

* Another dinosaur example is the movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}''. The main characters are all herbivores, and even the mean herbivore rivals are only trying to accomplish the greater good.
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife''. The protagonists are omnivorous ants (though they're only shown eating plants), and their allies include predators such as a mantis, a ladybug, and a spider. The villains, by contrast, are herbivorous grasshoppers.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The wild deer in Nara, Japan are extremely docile around humans and freely roam the streets. There is debate on how far this goes - they could simply be tame around humans, though the generations of interaction may also have bred out their instinct to be skittish around humans. Either way, they will walk right up to people to beg for petting and treats, and some will even bow.

-->-- ''Film/JurassicPark''

** In ''Film/JurassicPark'', Dr. Grant calms Alex down when she sees nearby ''Brachiosaurus'' by reassuring her that they're plant-eaters.

* ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'': Played around with. In the first set of books, the ''Leptoceratopses'' abduct Candayce and shove Janine around, and Candayce figures out that they were trying to protect her -- she's in the body of a ''Leptoceratops'' and they don't understand why she's hanging out with a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex''. Similarly, when they encounter a ''Triceratops'' herd, it is hostile in defense of its nests, but is less so later, realizing that a little ''Leptoceratops'' and a wounded ''[[PteroSoarer Quetzalcoatlus]]'' aren't threats. The ''Ankylosaurus'' met later on is friendly to the boy in the ''Ankylosaurus'' body, but wary at best of all the others.

* HerbivoresAreFriendly: Averted in practice -- the herbivorous Puppeteers are collectively ruthless, paranoid and deceitful, while Pak protectors are xenophobic killing machines who eat nothing but tree roots -- but the Kzinti are under the cultural bias that anything that isn't a carnivore is inherently weak, cowardly, and/or stupid; "you don't need brains to sneak up on a leaf!" They've faced many nasty subversions to this expectation throughout the series; Puppeteers, Pak, the "grass giants" on Ringworld, humanity, and so on.

* Brian Jaques's ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' series often shows this. Squirrels (technically omnivores, but mostly eat plants), hares, and other herbivores, and a few omnivores such as badgers, mice, and hedgehogs, are the heroes, where wholly carnivorous species such as weasels, stoats, wild cats, snakes, hawks, ferrets, foxes (actually omnivorous, but still predatory), and the like are the villains. This is rather odd considering the fact that the most prominent species, the mice of Redwall, are omnivores but never eat any meat besides fish. One would reason that they never eat any intelligent creatures, but there has been at least one intelligent talking fish in the series.
* Discussed in ''[[Literature/PrinceRoger March Upcountry]]'': Captain Pahner sees a large herbivore on an unfamiliar planet and tells his troops not to fire. Prince Roger shoots the thing anyway, because he has actually been on safari and knows that herbivores are not harmless (and because he hadn't figured out the com software yet and hadn't heard the order).
* Played around with in ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}''. In the first set of books, the ''Leptoceratopses'' abduct Candayce and shove Janine around, and Candayce figures out that they were trying to protect her - she's in the body of a ''Leptoceratops'' and they don't understand why she's hanging out with a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex''. Similarly, when they encounter a ''Triceratops'' herd, it is hostile in defense of its nests, but is less so later, realizing that a little ''Leptoceratops'' and a wounded ''[[PteroSoarer Quetzalcoatlus]]'' aren't threats. The ''Ankylosaurus'' met later on is friendly to the boy in the ''Ankylosaurus'' body, but wary at best of all the others.
* The [[LizardFolk Hork-Bajir]] from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series are, when free from [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerk]] control, naturally docile and unintelligent creatures who use the numerous blades on their bodies to strip bark from trees for food. A community of Hork-Bajir who escape the Yeerks become close allies of the Animorphs.
* The German SF series ''Literature/{{Maddrax}}'' has the hydrites. They are an absolutely peace-loving species of [[FishPeople fish people]]... and vegetarians.

* ''Literature/TheDinosaurKnights'': Subverted, the titular dinosaur mounts are most often herbivores (hadrosaurs, parasaurolophus, pachycephalosaurus, etc.), but no less deadly for it. There are some carnivore mounts, and Deinonychus are used in a manner similar to hunting dogs, but they tend to be AwesomeButImpractical.

* Half of the plot points of ''Anime/{{Beastars}}'' is that the populace is convinced of this while also believing CarnivoresAreMean. Though the truth isn't as black and white.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'': Professor Marmalade is introduced as this. In contrast to the [[PredatorsAreMean rough-natured predator species]] Bad Guys, Marmalade is an adorable, soft-spoken little guinea pig and also a beloved philanthropist. [[spoiler:Subverted; he's revealed to be EvilAllAlong and [[EvilerThanThou far worse than the Bad Guys ever were]], willing to steal from children's charities and attempt murder]].

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The herbivore dinosaurs in ''Series/TerraNova'' are shown to be playful in the pilot episode. The main character's youngest daughter even feeds them leaves.
* Spoofed in ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'' as the herbivores are presented as dinosaur versions of hippie pacifists and marijuana users, which becomes a problem when the son Robbie (think Lisa Simpson's version of the series) becomes an herbivore.
* ''Series/PrehistoricPlanet'' averts this with the Dreadnoughtus: contrary to [[GentleGiantSauropod the typical portrayal of sauropods in pop culture]] they're shown engaging in violent, and often ''lethal'' combat with one another during the mating season, involving thumb-claw stabbing, neck-smashing and even raking their teeth on each other's throats.
* Mix with OurWerebeastsAreDifferent in ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': all the herbivore-based Wesen like the turtle-like Genio Inocuo and the [[SweetSheep sheep-like Seelengut are essentially harmless.]]
* Inverted in ''Series/{{Dinosapien}}''. The protagonist is an evolved dromaeosaur, while the antagonists are evolved pachycephalosaurs.
* In ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', a Scutosaurus is considered harmless in the first season because he is an herbivore. However, a few episodes later, he tramples and kills some men who attacked him.
* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Federation President Jaresh-Inyo is a Grazerite, a sentient species descended from herbivores and averse to confrontation. Since TheFederation is in the middle of a SpaceColdWar with the Dominion, Admiral Leyton fears that he won't have what it takes to fight should that cold war heat up.
[[/folder]]

* ''TabletopGame/TheUnofficialHollowKnightRPG'' has this in-universe: A character with the Herbivore trait gains a small bonus to their Cute score, making them better at social interactions where they need to appear friendly and non-threatening. This doesn't necessarily mean that the character ''is'' friendly or non-threatening, just that they're more easily perceived as such by others than they would be if they ate meat.

* Downplayed with the gurns, druffalo and brontos in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They won't attacked if they aren't provoked, but they'll fight tooth and nail if wounded.