Question #68d21
1 Answer
The digestive requirements for meats are different than for vegetation.
Explanation:
As with many other herbivores, the digestive systems are much longer and more complex than for omnivores and carnivores. It's just harder to break down plant matter into the desired nutrients than to extract them from meat.
Because "predators" are primarily carnivorous, feeding off of herbivores (like the koala) and possibly other carnivores, their diet consists of the meat of the prey, while the prey need to digest the plant materials available around them.
"Form follows function" is a general observation, not a specific rule of nature, and it has many exceptions. Or, does "Function define form"? In any case, other "functions" like toxicity mitigation may or may not apply in general, or even specifically for a particular organ across species.
