Herd man diet: benign bugs

From: Owen Jones <oj_at_maths.anu.edu.au>
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 1997 10:45:58 +1000 (EST)


How's this for a pseudo-scientific explanation for how herd men survive off leaves and grass: benign bacteria in the gut? The idea is that the bacteria digests most of the celulose, producing various protiens as waste products, which the herd man host then consumes. Alternatively, the bodies of dead bacteria themselves are consumed - a sort of internally manufactured grass based yoghurt.

In practice, living amongst herd men, through contact with the herd men, you soon develop a bacterial colony of your own, and can survive on grass like the herd men do. Conversly, the bacteria can not survive for long in the presence of parially digested animal protein, and so do not live in the guts of the nomads of Prax. Of course, neither Praxian humans nor morokanth know of this, though you may get a morokanth ruminating; "Yup, when first you fix dem humans, they don't take to the grass too well. But after a few weeks most learn to like it. Pretty soon they're gobbling it up like all dem other herd men."

A few solitary shamen may know the secret, which would explain their ability to survive in the wastes with seemingly nothing to eat but twigs and bark. But they don't let on, because they know Praxian's are supposed to eat meat, and herd beats eat grass, and to say otherwise would get you lynched pretty quick.

Owen Jones
Centre for Maths and its Applications, School of Math. Sciences Australian National University, ACT 0200 Ph +61 6 249 2897 (office) 249 4552 (direct) Fax +61 6 249 4675 Web page http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~oj/


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