Question

How can herbivores be a predator?

Answer 1

Hint: Herbivores are animals which are adapted to eat plant, tree bark, shrubby growth or can also depend on fungi for their diet. They are anatomically as well as physiologically molded to feed on diet related to plant origin.

Complete answer:
Predators are just the opposite to the herbivores as they are dependent on other animals also called as prey for their food. Hence, we can say that they are animals consuming other animals. So, if we say that the herbivores are predators then this implies that they have to hunt in order to feed themselves. If they actually turn into predators then there shall be some circumstances like unavailability of food that they feed on. The reason that the herbivores cannot totally be a predatory organism include:
-The digestive system and mouth parts of herbivores are already adapted according to their food type, which is autotrophs.
-Digestion of meat requires necessary enzymes to be digested properly on the other hand food of plant origin are rich in cellulose and are easy to digest.

Even if the herbivores act as predators and feed on other animals they will fail to digest the food due to lack of enzymes and the structure of their digestive system. They will not die but will lead to malnourishment. The absence of enzymes may also lead to digestion problems and it is also possible that they may vomit. Hence from the discussion above we can conclude that herbivores can rarely be a predator but this type of feeding will not support them.

Note: The term autotrophs are used for the organisms which can prepare their own food.
 We should also be aware about the distribution of organisms according to their feeding habits. The three main distributions are:
-Herbivore: These depend on food related to plant origin.
-Carnivores: They depend on other animal species for their food.
-Omnivore: these are organisms that can eat both plants as well as animals.