Anne Woltmann, age 12, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., for Her question:
What are animals that eat both meat and vegetables?
Carnivores are animals that eat meat and only meat. Vegetarians are animals that eat plants and only plants. But there are many, many animals that eat both meat and vegetables. These mixed diet eaters are called omnivores. Since human beings live on a mixed diet of meat and vegetables, we too are omnivores.
Whether he is carnivorous, omnivorous or a vegetarian, there are reasons why an animal must stick to his diet. A cat cannot live on a diet of salads, a bison cannot eat meat and a bear will not remain healthy without a mixed diet. Each animal has the right kind of teeth and the right kind of digestive system for chewing and turning his food into proper nourishment.
When an expert finds a fossil head, jaw, or even a single tooth, he can tell what kind of food the long dead animal used to eat. In the main, there are three kinds of teeth, each with a different job to do. We know for a fact that the saber toothed tiger was a meat eater, for those saber teeth can be used only for tearing and shredding.
These fang teeth are called canines, dog teeth or cuspids. Any animal who has them is a meat eater and such teeth are of little use for grazing. Grazing animals depend on their molars, those flat topped chompers and grinders in the back of the jaw. The front teeth, those with chiseled cutting edges, are called the incisors. They are the biting teeth.
The deer, moose and bison have four pairs of lower incisors and a pad of gristle instead of upper incisors. They have no canine teeth. They use the tongue and lower front teeth to tear off grass and foliage and they chew it with 24 fine, strong molars.
The coyote, fox and wolf each have four fine canine teeth for tearing meat, as do the cats. Squirrels and beavers, who gnaw tough woody fibers, have four long, strong incisors and no canine teeth at all.
The omnivorous animals are equipped with all three kinds of teeth. Bruin, who will eat almost anything, has twelve incisors, four canines and 26 fine molars. The raccoon has twelve incisors, four canines anal 24 molars. The pig too has well developed teeth of every variety. Wild boars, who must catch and kill meat, have extra long canine tusks for tearing. All these animals are equipped to eat both meat and vegetables.
What an animal eats, of course, goes down into his stomach and meat is more quickly and easily digested than vegetables. The cow's stomach is divided into chambers so that the grass can be digested in stages. The bunny has a much longer intestine than the cat, hence, Miss Puss could not properly digest a salad, even if her teeth could chow it.