Grazing and digging put some herbivores at greater risk from toxic elements in soil – new research

Studying how much soil herbivores eat shows which species are vulnerable to toxic element exposure from natural or human sources – a useful guide for conservation.

By: Andrea Webster, University of Pretoria, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 5, 2026

Words: 1,120

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Andrea Webster, University of Pretoria

If you’ve watched a giraffe browsing in the tree canopy, a white rhino meandering across open grassland or a warthog shuffling around on its knees in South Africa’s Kalahari desert, you know what they eat: leaves, grass, shoots and roots. With every mouthful, they swallow something less obvious – soil.

Some ingest more soil than others, but all are exposed to toxic elements, such as arsenic, lead or chromium.

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