Are humans herbivors

Answer 1

The question this particular answer poses of asking whether humans are herbivores specifically asks for facts and science behind the reasons that humans may or may not be herbivorous. If the globally accepted diet of eating a mixture of plants, fungi and meat is just that, then it calls into question certain claims such as "Humans were not meant to eat meat," "Human anatomy is not designed for eating meat, but for eating plant matter only," "Humans do not like the sounds or appearance of killing animals and meat for consumption," among many others. The answer below answers such questions in a scientific way by analyzing the differences between human digestive physiology and true ruminant/hind-gut fermentor digestive physiology.

Humans are omnivores because they are more adapt to eat meat and animal products. Humans are monogastrics, just like other omnivores like pigs, bears, and raccoons are. Humans cannot be classified as "herbivorous" because we cannot properly digest fibre, cellulose, hemi-cellulose like the TRUE herbivores can. True herbivores, being pseudo-ruminants and ruminants, have larger and additional organs in their digestive tract that humans lack. A human's digestive organs are more closely related to the pig (which is an omnivore) than a horse, a rabbit or a cow.

Horses and rabbits are hind-gut fermentors, which means they have a large cecum at the joint where the small intestine merges into the large intestine. In the cecum, bacteria and protozoa are housed and used as fermentors to further digest the grass and hay that could not be digested by the horse's simple stomach. Even then, when the horse and rabbit defecate, not all the forage components has been completely digested.

Cattle (among other ruminants like sheep, goats, antelope, and deer) have a four-chambered stomach which is more efficient than both a monogastric's and a psuedo-ruminant's GI tracts and is naturally and physiologically made to digest roughage that would literally starve a human and a pig or any other true omnivore to death. The rumen, the largest chamber of the four chambers, houses microflora and bacteria that form an environment that enables the digested feed to undergo fermentation. The reticulum also helps in this process, and also is a storage/holding unit for foreign objects that could otherwise harm the rest of the GI tract if let through. The bovine, like all herbivores, are prey animals, and tend to take a bite, chew a couple times before swallowing the feed whole. This is an adaption that herbivores have developed over millions of years so that they won't be caught by predators if they simply sit and chew and can get their fill as fast as they can. Humans do not do this. When the ruminant is full, it stands around or lays down, regurgitates the partly-digested forage and rechews it to further break it down. This process can take a couple hours, depending on the size of the ruminant.

Once the rechewed feed is reswallowed, it undergoes further digestion, then goes through the omasum (third chamber) to have all the liquid absorbed out of the digesta. Then it moves into the abomasum (the true stomach) to undergo further digestion, the same digestion processes that digest proteins, amino acids and starches. Some protein is digested in the rumen, but most of it is digested in the abomasum.

The stomach capacity of a ruminant is very large, much larger than a carnivore or a monogastric. It can take up over a third of the abdominal cavity. For instance, a cow's rumen can take up to (and sometimes over) 50 gallons of digesta matter. A carnivore doesn't have that capacity, nor does a human. Nor do any omnivores, for that matter.

True herbivores see humans as predators, not as another grazing/browsing animal. Humans have the eye-sight and -position of a predator: we are able to judge distance and pick out an animal in the bush (though not as well as a fox or an eagle) to hunt. We also only have a 150 to 180 degree peripheral vision, typical of any omnivore and carnivore. Herbivores have their eyes on the sides of their faces, enabling them to have a 330 degree peripheral vision. They cannot judge distance as well as a predator does either. Herbivores are much more keener on sight and sound than humans are, and will key-in to strange movement that a human would simply not see or ignore. Herbivores also tend to have a powerful fight-or-flight response, and tend to choose flight first over curiosity--act first and ask questions later. This response in humans is not nearly as strong as in prey animals like cattle, horses, sheep, goats, deer and antelope. Additionally, natural herbivores such as deer see us as predators like a wolf or a bear, and will often run away in fear of being attacked, even though intellectually and physiologically we are not able or choose not to give chase much like a dog or a cougar will. However, in a survival situation or if we were to live much like the aboriginal peoples do who choose to live off the land rather than from food in the supermarket, it is natural for a human to pick up a knife, spear or bow and give chase to hunt that deer down for meat--for food. In survival situations, if the plant matter around us cannot sustain us or give us the nutrients we need to survive, than it is not a matter of choice, but need, that pushes us to realize we need to kill an animal in order to live, just like the African lion will go after a wildebeest.

Though we may not salivate upon seeing a live rabbit or cow, in a survival situation where a person is starving for meat--and no plants, berries or nuts are available to eat--this statement will be called into question when the instinct to hunt that rabbit, kill it, skin it, then eat it kicks in in the middle of the wilderness.

The argument that humans are not meant to eat raw meat ignores the fact of humans that do and can eat raw meat. The Inuit and Eskimo tribes of the North ate raw or partly cooked meat all the time. Sushi is a Japanese raw meat dish fed to humans on a regular basis. People who follow the Raw Food Diet plan will eat meat raw, from beef to chicken to even venison.

While this answer can go on forever with the discussion of whether humans are naturally heribivorous or omnivorous, it should be noted that many such similar questions have already been made that pose the similar answers. These related questions can be seen below.

Answer 2

no humans are not herbivores