Imposter. The Man Who Came Back From The...
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Carnivorous is a man-made definition, as opposed to herbivorous. Even a herbivore ingests a surprising amount of meat by way of insects on their pasture.
Traditional carnivours - big cats etc - first eat the guts of their kill, so getting additional nutrients not present in meat. Even domestic dogs and cats will get sick if they are only given meat.
if youre talking about carnivore in the taxonomic classification sense, then canivora is an order in the class mammalia, so i suppose technically theyre all 'carnivores' within this order. however, pandas are included within the order carnivora & they feed exclusively on bamboo -although their digestive tracts have evolved for, & would be much better suited to, a diet of meat.
i assume your take on carnivore is more in the sense of meat-eating behaviour, rather than the taxonomical definition. it is true that many cat and dog species eat vegetation on rare occasions, & their are various reasons for this; trace minerals not found in meat, anti-parasitic chemicals in plants, & in the case of cat-nip -hallucinogenic properties! however, cats especially are obligate carnivores, & MUST eat meat to survive, & could survive healthily solely on meat. this is evolutionary, and is related to the inabilty of cats to synthesize certain essential nutrients neccessary for all mammals, which as a result they must obtain from other mammals which can synthesize them from precursers found in plants. the fact is that certain mammals like cats have evolved to eat only meat, & do not have the digestive capacity to break down vegetable matter -so eating it would be pointless, like humans eating wood - you just couldnt digest it.
as for cows inadvertantly consuming insects whilst grazing, i wouldnt really think this is carnivorous behaviour, as carnivore applies to the consumption of other vertebrates -although many species of solely herbivorous grazing animals,such as cows & sheep, will eat the afterbirth from their calves etc.
the short answer to whether any mammals can be completely carnivorous in the behavioural sense is yes, the vampire bat is a good one, many species of cats also. eating veg is only good or worthwile if your digestive system has evolved to do it.
i assume your take on carnivore is more in the sense of meat-eating behaviour, rather than the taxonomical definition. it is true that many cat and dog species eat vegetation on rare occasions, & their are various reasons for this; trace minerals not found in meat, anti-parasitic chemicals in plants, & in the case of cat-nip -hallucinogenic properties! however, cats especially are obligate carnivores, & MUST eat meat to survive, & could survive healthily solely on meat. this is evolutionary, and is related to the inabilty of cats to synthesize certain essential nutrients neccessary for all mammals, which as a result they must obtain from other mammals which can synthesize them from precursers found in plants. the fact is that certain mammals like cats have evolved to eat only meat, & do not have the digestive capacity to break down vegetable matter -so eating it would be pointless, like humans eating wood - you just couldnt digest it.
as for cows inadvertantly consuming insects whilst grazing, i wouldnt really think this is carnivorous behaviour, as carnivore applies to the consumption of other vertebrates -although many species of solely herbivorous grazing animals,such as cows & sheep, will eat the afterbirth from their calves etc.
the short answer to whether any mammals can be completely carnivorous in the behavioural sense is yes, the vampire bat is a good one, many species of cats also. eating veg is only good or worthwile if your digestive system has evolved to do it.
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