Question #4332f
1 Answer
Hedgehogs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals, and possibly insects.
Being an omnivore, hedgehogs have to be able to digest both meat and plant matter, and have digestive systems similar to ours.
Whereas the herbivores digestive systems contain bacteria and enzymes primarily used in the breakdown of cellulose from plants, omnivores possess more mild traits of both carnivores and herbivores. An example would be an omnivores ability to break down simple starches, but inability to solely feed by grazing.
When any animal consumes food, the food travels to the stomach where acids break down the food into simpler chemical which the body then absorbs. The food which cannot be digested travels to the large intestine and then the smaller intestine where tiny cilia in the intestines collect any remaining nutrients. Bacteria play a huge role in any digestive system and assist in the breakdown of any food, no matter what orientation. Bacteria in this case help break down the food, and the food which can not be digested is released as feces.
It’s much more intricate, but here’s the shorthand.
