carnivores, omnivores, herbivores

[Eric A. Schwartz]

In article <16F8B97F9S...@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu>,
Jeff Wood <9855...@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu> wrote:
>Although science carefully categorizes animals as carnivores
>(meat-eaters), herbivores (plant-eaters), and omnivores (both),
>recent studies kind of suggest that everything is essentially
>omnivorous. In other words, although most animals trend toward
>one style or the other, there is really isn't any such thing
>as a 'pure' carnivore or 'pure' herbivore.
>
>In particular, one study has demonstrated that such renowned
>herbivores as deer would kill and eat small birds, under certain
>conditions.
>
Actually, they don't kill the baby birds. They just bite them
through the shoulder joint and rip out the wing bones, which
they then eat. Most of the baby birds do survive this, and recover,
up until the point where they find themselves unable to fledge
like their siblings, and are abandoned to starve to death or become
easy food for true carnivores. Despite the crossposting, this
is true. To quote Bugs Bunny: "Gruesome, ain't it?"

E.S.