Are humans carnivores

Answer 1

No. Humans, like other primates, are primarily herbivores.

Carnivores have claws; humans do not. Carnivores have no skin pores and perspire through their tongues. Humans, like other herbivores, perspire through skin pores. Carnivores have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding; humans have dull front teeth for grasping fruit and flat rear molars for grinding, like other herbivores. Carnivores have intestinal tracts that are only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly; humans, like other herbivores, have intestinal tracts 10-12 times their body length. Carnivores have strong hydrochloric acid in their stomachs to digest meat; humans, like other herbivores have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore. The saliva of carnivores is acidic and does not contain enzymes to digest carbohydrates; the saliva of humans, like that of other herbivores, is alkaline, and contains enzymes to digest carbohydrates.

Many people classify humans as omnivores, because they are able to eat both plants and animals. However, if you look at the ingredients in your cat's food, you may be surprised to see plant materials, such as corn. Most people would not say that the ability of cat to digest plants make them omnivores. They are still carnivores.

While it may be possible for humans to subsist entirely on meat, they will likely become deficient in some vitamins and minerals that are more prevalent in vegetable sources, such as vitamin C and folate, and they will almost certainly be deficient in fiber. In addition, they will likely be getting far more saturated fat and cholesterol than their bodies can handle.

Answer 2

Yes, humans are obligate carnivores. That is, we need nutrients only found in animals and animal products to survive.

These include: vitamin B12, taurine, L-carnitine and creatine phosphate.

While there are many instances of cultures that subsist only on meat, there are no examples of cultures that exist in the complete absence of animal products.

While it is possible to subsist on a completely meat-free diet for a time, it is not possible to do so without supplementation of the above nutrients plus nutrients that are low in plant-centered diets, such as DHA.

There is significant archaeological evidence that humans began as a scavenger species on the African savanna, then gradually moved up the food chain with the development of tools and harnessing of fire. Carbon evidence indicates we are a higher percentage of meat in our diet than wolves, which is another species commonly considered an obligate carnivore.

There is also clear archaeological evidence that we commonly also indulged in cannibalism in our past, indicated by scrape marks inside fossil human skulls suggesting tools were used to access the brain for food in parts of Europe and Asia.

While cannibalism is now incredibly rare in human cultures worldwide, the need for the nutrition provided by animal products remains firmly entrenched for humans to develop healthily and reproduce.

Answer 3

Humans eat both meat and vegetation, making us omnivores.