The Earth that we live on is very unique because until now, this is the only planet that can be inhabited by living things. However, keep in mind that we are not alone on this blue planet so we have to live side by side with nature and other living things, including omnivores. We as humans need nature and nature provides resources for humans.
The Division of Animal Types Based on the Type of Food
When talking about nature, of course it cannot be separated from other living things that live around us. This time we will discuss one of the living things on earth besides humans, namely animals. Based on the type of food, animals are classified into four groups, namely carnivores, herbivores, insectivores, and omnivores.
Carnivorous Animals
Carnivores are animals whose food is in the form of meat, both meat from living animals and from dead animals. Some types of birds are carnivores, for example vultures.
Herbivores
Herbivores are animals that eat only plants and do not eat meat. Don't think that humans are herbivores even though there are people who are committed not to eat meat, namely vegetarians. Humans are omnivores because they eat both plants and animal flesh.
Omnivores
Omnivores are animals that eat plants and animals as their main food source. The teeth of these animals have evolved so that they can digest both types of food without difficulty. Humans are omnivores.
Insectivora Animals
Insectivora is the name for the type of animal whose food is insects and other small animals. Small animals are animals that are generally small in size so that they can be eaten by insectivorous animals, such as mosquitoes. An example of an insectivorous animal is the lizard.
Omnivorous Animals - The Eaters of All Kinds of Food
Structure and arrangement of teeth of omnivorous animals
This ability is supported by a balanced number of incisors and molars, which are flat teeth, and canines, which are sharp teeth. The amount is in accordance with the use and the type of food they consume. In general, sharp teeth are located at the front, while flat teeth are located at the back.
If you have trouble imagining this illustration of tooth placement, you can look in the mirror and open your mouth and pay attention to the arrangement of your teeth. The arrangement of human teeth is similar to that of omnivores in general. The structure and arrangement of the teeth of omnivores is of course different from that of carnivores and herbivores because in processing food, each tooth has its own task.
What accounts for this difference? The type of food is the cause that affects the evolution of the creature's teeth. So, you shouldn't be surprised if you come across animals that sometimes have tooth structures that may seem odd to you because that's how they evolved for their survival.
It should be noted that the digestion of omnivores is more complex than that of carnivores and herbivores. This is of course caused by different types of food so that it demands a different behavior of the body's metabolism. A simple example is in carnivorous animals, the metabolic process does not use microbial bacteria because the food is only meat.
Examples of Omnivores Animals
In simple terms, the digestive process of omnivorous animals is as follows. In this case I use pigs as an example because these animals are examples of omnivores that have been widely known.
Pigs take feed food, chew, and mix it with saliva (saliva) before swallowing. Saliva acts as a lubricant. The difference is that pig saliva contains enzymes that begin to break down feed ingredients into their constituent elements. In pigs there is no ruminant process because all the feed ingredients have been chewed finely before being swallowed.
Swallowed food moves into the esophagus and then into the stomach. The stomach in pigs also serves as a reservoir for ingested material. The volume of a pig's stomach is only about 8 liters.
The small intestine is where the main absorption of digestive nutrients occurs. Undigested and unabsorbed feed ingredients move from the small intestine to the large intestine. In the large intestine, water components are reabsorbed and the residue left from the digestive process is excreted through the anus.
You can notice that more of the digestion process occurs after the food moves out of the stomach into the intestines. This is very different from herbivorous animals which generally ruminate and will store food in their stomach before being released to be chewed again after that it is put back into the stomach and a process of decay occurs in the stomach.
Maybe you have heard or seen certain animals such as birds that swallow small stones when they are looking for food. They do this to help their digestion process. These stones can destroy the hard part of their food when the food is in the cache (stomach in mammals).
The stone is also sometimes involved in cleaning the stomach of the animal as an aid in the process of regurgitation of the indigestible part of the food. The aves (birds) themselves are omnivores because they eat foods such as worms and seeds.
Here are examples of some animals that belong to the omnivorous group that are around you:
- Orangutan
- Chicken
- Rat
- Turtle
- Fish
In addition to eating grains, such as rice and corn, chickens like to eat earthworms. Likewise with orangutans, in addition to eating vegetables and fruits, orangutans often eat insects to maintain a balanced digestive system. Fish are also omnivores because in addition to eating worms, they also like to swallow moss around river rocks.
Maybe you think that this type of animal is a harmless animal when compared to carnivores that only eat meat such as lions or leopards. If you think like that, you are mistaken because there are some animals of this type that are very dangerous if the animal feels threatened.
I take a simple example of a wild boar. Unlike pigs in general, wild boars have large bodies so it is very dangerous if these animals start to run amok. Not to mention the sharp teeth make this animal very dangerous even though this animal is included in the category of omnivorous animals.
Whatever it is, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores are created differently for the sake of the balance of nature.
They, or we, live with different types of food because of the eating-eating process (food chain). None is better or worse than these four types of animals. Everything is just different for the balance of nature and the continuity of life on this earth.