Giant Spiny Stick-Insect

[PhilinYuma]

Yeah, I read that whole post and that's all I took away from it. Sorry.

Ouch! I missed the end of this thread altogether!

revmdn: What Superfreak is saying here is not revolutionary or original, but she brings up two fundamental issues that are not only basic tenets of biology and anthropology, but are just plain "beautiful ideas."

The first is that obligate herbivores, whether they be gazelles on the African plains or stick insects, are eating machines.

Many ungulates in Africa , for example, eat for up to 20 hrs a day! They live on "second class (plant) protein," which is difficult for mammals to digest, hence such anatomical strategies as the rumen and the vermiform appendix, but is abundantly available. They don't have to think about obtaining food, they just eat.

Obligate carnivores, like lions and mantises, on the other hand, though they live on first class (animal) protein, have to make decisions about their food. They tend to follow the rule that a potential meal must provide a greater caloric intake than the caloric expenditure involved in capturing the prey, which is why you will see lions, say (on Animal Planet) or mantises (in real life) abandoning a potential prey if it's capture is likely to use up more energy than will be gained from capturing it.

The posited increase in intelligence in humans when they became omnivores is due not primarily due to the fact that first class protein is in itself "superior" (though the fact that it is more readily metabolized is a contribtory factor) but because of the need to evolve intelligent strategies to capture it.

Personally, I think that Superfreak posited both positions more succinctly than I, so if you have waded through this, I suggest that you go back to her post and learn.

 

[Katnapper]

Ouch! I missed the end of this thread altogether!revmdn: What Superfreak is saying here is not revolutionary or original, but she brings up two fundamental issues that are not only basic tenets of biology and anthropology, but are just plain "beautiful ideas."

The first is that obligate herbivores, whether they be gazelles on the African plains or stick insects, are eating machines.

Many ungulates in Africa , for example, eat for up to 20 hrs a day! They live on "second class (plant) protein," which is difficult for mammals to digest, hence such anatomical strategies as the rumen and the vermiform appendix, but is abundantly available. They don't have to think about obtaining food, they just eat.

Obligate carnivores, like lions and mantises, on the other hand, though they live on first class (animal) protein, have to make decisions about their food. They tend to follow the rule that a potential meal must provide a greater caloric intake than the caloric expenditure involved in capturing the prey, which is why you will see lions, say (on Animal Planet) or mantises (in real life) abandoning a potential prey if it's capture is likely to use up more energy than will be gained from capturing it.

The posited increase in intelligence in humans when they became omnivores is due not primarily due to the fact that first class protein is in itself "superior" (though the fact that it is more readily metabolized is a contribtory factor) but because of the need to evolve intelligent strategies to capture it.

Personally, I think that Superfreak posited both positions more succinctly than I, so if you have waded through this, I suggest that you go back to her post and learn.

Hmm... I think he understands the points, Phil. He's just displaying thought behavior typical to the male of our species who is within breeding age... "one track mind" syndrome. One brief mention of procreation, and all other points go out the window, replaced by titillating fantasies and visions of when the next procreational opportunity will present itself. Men!!! :lol: Come on, Phil, surely you understand, can relate, and take pity on his sad and unfortunate condition ... you're not THAT old!

 

[superfreak]

:lol: :lol: :lol: