Meaty Herbivores

[Bonzo 2000]

I can appreciate that carnivorous animals, humans included, have such a varied intake of chemicals through their diet that they are able to grow and develop.  But I am amazed at how herbivores can grow to impressive sizes taking in only grass and water.  With such a limited range of nutrients, proteins etc in simple grass, how do they convert it to substantial meat and bone.  In short, how do cows turn grass into steak?

[Clanad]

Actually, grasses and other plants are highly nutritious, especailly to ruminants.  Many native and introduced grasses here in the western U.S. are especailly high in protein, even when dried or cut and processed into hay.  Keep in mind that exceptionally large animals, such as elephants, exist and do quite well, primarily on grasses. It does take longer for a beef cow fed exclusively on range grass to mature into marketable beef than one fed grain in a feed lot environment.  However, having said that, it is demonstrably true that the range fed beef cow is healthier for human consumption.  All examples of "Mad Cow" disease have been fed commercial feeds that do contain animal proteins as well as grains...

[MargeB]

Ultimately we are all herbivores, we just get the cows etc to do the hard work for us...

It's all about getting the sun's energy and a few minerals.

[Piper-AK]

I saw a documentary on cows - they have two stomachs.  The first one is full of bacteria that break down the grasses, this leads to more bacteria.  The second stomach then digests the bacteria which I suppose have proteins etc that are more in line with what a cow needs than grass.

[Katie5892]

Cows have 4 stomachs, not 2; the rumen, riticulum, omasum, and abomasom. The steak you eat is just the fat and mussle of a cow, it's really just basic. Just like when humans don't exersize they get fat on their body, and when they do, they get mussle. The grass is just the food that they eat, where as we eat differant things. The same effect happens.