How are some of the largest land animals like Rhinos, Elephants and Giraffes are herbivores? How do they get so big from eating grass, don’t they ever get hungry?

Question

I don’t get how something so big just eats grass like a cow. If we eat vegetables all day we won’t get fat or super big so how are they able to do it? I feel like eating grass all day is not very filling.

In: Biology

Answer 1

Okay so basically herbivores eat plants which are the first on the food chain. As the food transfers down the chain, the energy received per step is reduced by a factor of x.

If you are really 5 then imagine this. Plants have 100 hp. A rabbit eats the plants and uses 90 hp for itself and leaves behind in its body 10. A lion eating the rabbit only receives the 10 as compared to the 100 received by the rabbit.

Also plants are made up of cellulose. Herbivores have digestive systems specifically designed for breaking down cellulose whereas humans have a more generalised system and do not digest cellulose. Hence veggies are also called roughage as the help fill the stomach but don’t actually give you enough energy.