Why can’t herbivores eat meat, and why can’t carnivores eat plants? What specifically stops them / happens if they try to?
In: Biology
Humans have digestive issues if they switch up the details of their routine.
More fiber? Problems. Less fiber? Problems. More grease? Problems. Less grease? Problems. etc.
Now, these can range from minor to severe in humans, but the point is that digestion is a relatively complex process that uses certain enzymes being built up at the right time and a symbiotic relationship to your ‘gut microbiome’. Changing things will make the process less efficient, which results in symptoms ranging from being uncomfortable to things similar to food poisoning.
All of this for humans, which have a pretty decent and adaptable digestive system, but in being adaptable it is *not* specialized. We will never get as much energy from grass as a cow and their 4 stomachs can, and our system is not hostile enough to deal with the dangers of raw meat (generally speaking at least).
Imagine how much worse things would be if we were specialized like that, but then switched food to things we were not specialized for. Instead of some gas or some runs, it would be much less pleasant.
Herbivore’s guts can’t digest meat very well. Carnivore’s guts can’t digest plants very well. Herbivore’s teeth can’t tear up meat very well. Carnivore’s teeth won’t do very well trying to deal with plants.
Herbivores and carnivores have specialised guts to digest what they eat. They have specialised teeth to bite off and chew what they eat. Give them the wrong food and they won’t be able to eat it properly and won’t be able to digest it so won’t get enough energy and be ill.
They can eat those things, but they’re not optimized for it. If a herbivore finds carrion or some other kind of easy meal, it will take the opportunity to pick up some extra protein. You might see a deer eating ducklings, for example (and there are unfortunately videos of that on the web). Likewise, if an obligate carnivore finds some easily accessible and digestible plant matter, it will go for the extra carbs.
But, because their bodies are tuned for their food of choice, they aren’t able to get a lot out of it. Enough to supplement their diets if it’s needed, but nothing that they can eat exclusively.
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