Hey Tom,
you wrote : For you purests, I realize this does not make the animal an
omnivore -- just an opportunist.

If you think about it all omnivore are opportunists. they eat whatever is in
front of them , sort of like that giant squid in Art's basement .......


ferrret

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas E. Eichhorst <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 1999 6:13 AM
Subject: Re: Vegetarianism: a BRIEF defence!


>Ross,
>
>A rather strange candidate for your omnivorous mollusc is Cypraea cervus --
>the deer cowrie.  This was written up in American Conchologist Magazine
>(maybe even back when it was the bulletin).  I don't remember the date but
>Alta Van Landingham put a small, immature C. cervus (something like less
>than an inch long) in an aquarium filled with rocks covered with algae.
>There was also a Busycon caurica (I believe) in the tank.  She fed the
>whelk, coquina clams and right away noticed the cowrie eating those clams.
>Soon the cowrie was going through something like a pint of clams a day!  It
>grew to adult size in less than a year although it still had juvenile
>coloration.  It died about that time (Alta jokes it was probably from
>indigestion).  Anyway, it did eat the clams even though it was not equipped
>to open them.  She would freeze the calms which would then open up when
they
>thawed in the aquarium.
>
>For you purests, I realize this does not make the animal an omnivore --
just
>an opportunist.  But it is interesting.  All kinds of vegetarians will eat
>meat if given the chance.  In the last ten years there has been a lot of
>publicity about different monkeys (howlers for one) and chimpanzees
actually
>hunting.  Both animals once thought to be strictly vegetarian.  I know my
>blue and gold macaw will chow down on fried chicken any time she gets the
>chance.  So there are plenty of animals who will jump at the chance for
>extra protein in that handy package called meat.
>
>As for a vegen diet for man, I have no arguement with the health benefits.
>I would miss the flavor however; I have grilled veggie burgers side by side
>with my hamburgers for friends who won't eat meat and there is no
>possibility of mistaking which is which -- on the grill or in the
hamburger.
>I also think this diet is a reflection of modern living and was maybe not
>workable years ago.  It would be impossible to live and work in a climate
>like Alaska by just just grazing on lettuce without modern supplements.
>You'd loose weight all right -- all of your weight.
>
>Oh, there is also a shell book out there that calls Strombus gigas a
>predator!  Maybe he was thinking from the point of view of the algae?
>
>Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
>