On Fri, 12 May 2000 02:48:35 -0700, wombn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>On 12 May 00, at 5:12, Amadeus Schmidt wrote:
>
>> Opposed to this, i feel that meats are more of an emergency food for
>> deserted areas and well suited only for specialists (predators).
>> Food on the planet comes only from plants. Animals eating plants have
>> the best and richest resources. Predators have a much more inefficient
>> nutrition base.
>
>Now this confuses me.  I'm not terribly experienced with animals,
>but my small experience says:
>
>Cows eat constantly.  Horses eat almost constantly.
>
>Lions and tigers eat every few days (from what I've seen on nature
>programs on TV)
>
>Cows and horses have copious amounts of fecal waste.  Dogs and
>cats have proportionately, very *small* amounts of fecal waste.  As
>do humans when they eat a lot of meat (I'm comparing myself now
>to my vegetarian years.)

Here you speak of density (concentration) and volume of the food.
Of course a vers small peace of animal satisfies for a longer time
than a not so dense .. fruit.
Here I see a positive aspect only in conservation of time (to eat)
but not for health and not for fun of eating.

What I said (you didn't quote) is, that animal bodys are low in
*energy*. To be exact low in energy, compared to proteins.
Lions, cats are very good able to break down proteins to energy.
Humans are able too, but to a lesser extent.
You have to count the protein as the energy source
- which is possible but involves a complicated metabolism.
Maybe this is what makes lions to tired.

>...
>
>I wonder who would survive longer (and healthier) in times of
>famine:  cows/horses/rabbits/birds?  or dogs/cat/humans?

I try explain my point.
All food energy on earth comes prom plants through photosynthesis, right?
The amount of plants determine the amount of available food on earth.
Plant eating animals eat plants in a way, that about 10% of the
plants food energy is found in the animal body, the rest is just spent
in the animal.

So logically, if a predator (cat) eats only other animals,
only 10% of them can be sustained, compared to direct plant eating.
That leaves all predators only a relatively smaller space on earth.
Much more Gazelles may exist than lions.
As i don't want to experience beeing killed - this speake for lion
instead of gazelle. If gazelle is safe like lions (without hunters), then
gazelle looks to be nice.

ciao

Amadeus