Omnivore

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An omnivore (from Latin: omne all, everything; vorare to devour) is an animal that eats both plants and meat. Omnivores lack the specialist behaviour of carnivores and herbivores, searching widely for food sources, and are thus better able to withstand changes within their ecological niche. The digestive systems of omnivores reflect their versatility: they are able to digest the components of plants in the manner of herbivores but also readily assimilate protein and other nutrients from meat <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-4a.shtml#enceph%20factors |title=Intelligence, Evolution of the human brain, and diet |accessdate=2006-03-21}}</ref>. Given that brain size correlates to dietary quality (nutritional and caloric density of the diet) and omnivores have a wide-ranging diet, this group of animals is generally an intelligent one. For example—raccoons, bears and even crows—often show remarkable intelligence in their food gathering behaviour. The history of human evolution shows that supplementing our diet with meat allowed the development of substantially larger brains, a process that consumes large amounts of energy and nutrients. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://arbl.cvmbs.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/basics/overview.html |title=Overview of the Digestive System |accessdate=2006-03-21}}</ref>.These hypotheses are contested, however, by the work of Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham and his colleagues who explain that root vegetables—and the ability to cook them—prompted the evolution of large brains, smaller teeth, modern limb proportions, and even male-female bonding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Pennisi_99.html |title=Elizabeth Pennisi, "Did Cooked Tubers Spur the Evolution of Bigger Brains?" Science, 26 Mar. 1999.|accessdate=2006-03-21}}</ref>.