you do too), and when taking showers my mind often begins to wander to random
scientific or political topics that I've heard about on TV, at school, or on the
radio. Not only does this often result in me standing in the shower until the
hot water runs out, but it also supplies me with a multitude of blog topics (in
fact, I came up with the idea for The Center of the Internet in the shower).
Other times I have similar thoughts are in bed (about the same time I'm typing
this), and in spanish class (yes I already know how to conjugate that Señora).
Anyway, today I felt like sharing that along with today's blog topic(s).
I really have no idea how this train of thought came about (yes it was before
I got in the shower), but its a question I've had since we started learning
about dinosaurs in the first grade. Why are some animals classified as
herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores? It seems like a stupid question,
obviously because that's what they eat. What I really wanted to know was why a species ate plants and not animals. Lions eat impalas all the time, but what's
to stop a group of impalas from kicking a lion to death and eating it instead?
Is it a million-year-old habit that has just never been broken, or is there an
actual physiological reason that makes it impossible for the impala to either
eat or digest the lion meat? As usual, the internet is my guide.
Herbivores: Herbivores are animals that are adapted to consume plants, algae,
and other autotrophic organisms. They're also referred to as first-level
consumers, because they're the lowest level of heterotroph on most food webs.
Its hard to make a generalization on what exactly makes all herbivores adapted,
but I'll do my best. Herbivores are adapted to digest tough plant matter, and
extract the carbohydrates produced during photosynthesis. Whether its with
special enzymes optimized to break down cellulose, or mouthparts designed for
grinding, its (almost) always about leaves.
Carnivores: Carnivores are pretty much the same, except they eat other
heterotrophs. They have sharp teeth for cutting, and are able to more easily
digest protiens in animals. The usually eat first-level consumers, but
sometimes second depending on the food web.
On a completely off-topic note, I just put Borderlands 2 on my christmas
list. Looks really fun, and the interface seems a lot like l4d2 (which I
liked). All nerds buy it.