Question

Which of the following is omnivorous?
A. Cow
B. Grasshopper
C. Worm
D. Sparrow

Answer 1

Hint: Omnivores are those organisms that eat a wide range of products ranging from plant-based to animal-based. They have special morphological adaptations like types of teeth that allow them to tear upon plants and flesh of other animals. They are thought to be evolved from a diverse group of animals that initially were carnivores or herbivores.

Complete answer: The omnivores constitute a large fraction of the food chain. They eat upon both plant-based and animal-based products. They have diverse features that allow them to survive and eat on a wide range of food products. Most of the Humans are also omnivores. The omnivores also have the additional ability to eat various types of fungi, algae, and bacteria. They can digest proteins, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, etc. Although the omnivores are classified to survive over both the types of diets that are vegetarian and non-vegetarian they prefer a particular diet over others during some seasonal changes. As the omnivores can eat over anything, they have more chances of survival than the exclusive carnivores of exclusive herbivores.
Let us go through each given option to classify them according to their feeding preferences.
-The cow is an exclusive herbivore as it depends solely on plant-based products for their diet. They have highly specialized digestive systems that allow them to digest a large number of indigestible plant products. This is why they are called ruminants. They have specialized inhabitant bacterial colonies in their gut that helps in further digestion of cellulose present in plants.
-Grasshoppers are considered the most ancient group of chewing herbivore insects. They are exclusively plant-eater insects. They eat upon cereals, vegetables, pasture, etc. They are a threat to crops if they infest the large cereal fields.
-Worms are animals having long cylindrical bodies. Most of the worms eat upon plant products but some of them are parasitic and thus eat upon other animals. Thus, they are omnivores as they eat both plants and animals.
-Sparrows are small birds that eat upon a large variety of food products. They mainly eat seeds, berries, some small fruits, or other substitutes of plants. But they also add worms as food in their diet. Thus, they are also omnivores.
So, the correct options are options C and D.

Note: Some animals that are carnivores or herbivores sometimes prefer cross diets including plants and animals respectively. But they should not be confused over with omnivores. The omnivores have developed certain characteristic features that make them able to eat a wide range of food. They have modified teeth, digestive tracts, claw, etc.