And carnivores can be herbivorous. Dogs can be vegetarian no problem, and a while back humans solved the synthetic taurine problem. Turns out all animals are omnivores. Herbivores and carnivores are fake.
I think you don’t understand the definition then. When herbivores happen to eat some animals, like when cows eat baby chickens, it doesn’t make them carnivores just for doing so. They’re still herbivores
I like to think of the distinction in a de jure vs de facto way.
If all the evidence we have of a species is them consuming autotrophs, then we do mental gymnastics and induce that they are 100% herbivores.
Of course this also leaves room for an herbivore’s potential to consume heterotrophs, in which case our knowledge would have to update and reflect reality. Maybe 99% herbivore, 1% carnivore.
And at that point, we may still do mental gymnastics and call species herbivores because that is their normal behavior, where their abnormal behavior is shown due to abiotic or biotic factors, perhaps from loss of habitat or removal/introduction of species in the food web, etc.
samus12345@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Hmm, does it count if the animal (human, in this case) could be omnivorous, but chooses not to for whatever reason?
rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Herbivores can be carnivorous. I’ve seen plenty of videos of horses and cows cromching on baby chickens.
dragonfucker@lemmy.nz 1 month ago
And carnivores can be herbivorous. Dogs can be vegetarian no problem, and a while back humans solved the synthetic taurine problem. Turns out all animals are omnivores. Herbivores and carnivores are fake.
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
For mercy’s sake, don’t start this again please.
rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 1 month ago
What about the humble amoeba
Another_earthling@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I think you don’t understand the definition then. When herbivores happen to eat some animals, like when cows eat baby chickens, it doesn’t make them carnivores just for doing so. They’re still herbivores
rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 1 month ago
eet meet
explodicle@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
That’s how I see it. I’m a vegetarian omnivore, if my life depended on it I would eat meat.
Another_earthling@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Anybody would do that?
explodicle@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Yes, I’m saying humans are omnivores and vegetarianism is just a choice.
Resonosity@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I like to think of the distinction in a de jure vs de facto way.
If all the evidence we have of a species is them consuming autotrophs, then we do mental gymnastics and induce that they are 100% herbivores.
Of course this also leaves room for an herbivore’s potential to consume heterotrophs, in which case our knowledge would have to update and reflect reality. Maybe 99% herbivore, 1% carnivore.
And at that point, we may still do mental gymnastics and call species herbivores because that is their normal behavior, where their abnormal behavior is shown due to abiotic or biotic factors, perhaps from loss of habitat or removal/introduction of species in the food web, etc.