eli5: Why are herbivorous animals usually fatter/bigger than carnivorous animals?

Question

eli5: Why are herbivorous animals usually fatter/bigger than carnivorous animals?

In: 119

Answer 1

Herbivores eat alot of calorie poor food that takes time to digest. Plants. Carnivores eat calorie rich food that digests quickly by comparison. Herbivores need to have much higher gut volume to collect the energy they need from their food. Look at the difference in girth from a chimp (omnivore ) to a gorilla (herbivore) for a good comparison of similar species.