Wapsi Square Forum

To start out: a debate (mostly) among actual real-world physicians, over how to treat a centaur who's having a heart attack.

https://www.boredpanda.com/centaur-card ... gn=organic

I'm thinking there's either/or

Two Hearts, (or at least a Main & a Aux)

OR

One very large Heart in the Horse section, w/ Extra large Lungs in the upper torso...

TazManiac wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:11 am I'm thinking there's either/or

Two Hearts, (or at least a Main & a Aux)

And if they get badly hurt they regenerate as a different centaur?

Forget the internal organs:

How do they eat enough {of what} to survive?

If you can outrun a Centaur, you don't get eaten...

Well, Phil Farmer solved that in one of his books by making them obligate carnivores... about the only way to find enough calories and shove them through that small mouth.

In the Extended Wapsiverse, though, they are herbivores. (Like horses... which are, like most herbivores accidental - and possibly opportunistic - carnivores.)

AnotherFairportfan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:21 pm Forget the internal organs:

How do they eat enough {of what} to survive?

In the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis approached that subject, mentioning that inviting a centaur for breakfast was quite a serious undertaking, as they would first eat a full human breakfast (eggs, bacon, etc, in still fairly large quantities), and would then have to take care of the equine stomach, by then eating a mash of oats, or something to that effect... and that feeding a centaur therefore took a very long time...

Well, there are much larger animals not known for eating meat, like rhinos, hippos, and elephants, so it's entirely plausible that they could have a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, I suspect it would make more sense for them to be omnivorous, so they could more easily get as much food as they need.

lake_wrangler wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:14 am

AnotherFairportfan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:21 pm Forget the internal organs:

How do they eat enough {of what} to survive?

In the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis approached that subject, mentioning that inviting a centaur for breakfast was quite a serious undertaking, as they would first eat a full human breakfast (eggs, bacon, etc, in still fairly large quantities), and would then have to take care of the equine stomach, by then eating a mash of oats, or something to that effect... and that feeding a centaur therefore took a very long time...

Actually, i was planning to look that up and post it - i think it's in Prince Caspian

In my fanfiction, I have them able to change into human form for a limited amount of time- longer with the use of an amulet. While feral (Centaurish), their dietary is exactly what you would expect of a horse- grass, grain and the occasional sweet tooth goody. When they transition to human, there's a few caveats- 1) They CAN eat meat, but have to process it all the way through before they go back to centaur. Rich proteins play HELL with a horse's gut. 2) If they eat a large meal of grass, it is very wise to let that completely eliminate before going human as such a bowel movement can be dangerous if not fatal to a human body. 3) generally, they find the taste of meat disgusting- there are rare exceptions.

Herbivores' bad reactions to eating meat are somewhat overstated.

For one thing, nearly all herbivores are at least accidental carnivores. As in, they don't carefully clean all the bugs - and maybe an occasional tiny reptile or rodent - off the greenery they eat.

Second, some of them - including at least deer and cattle - will munch a bit of carrion, or a ground-level bird nest including the baby birds therein, if the opportunity presents itself. They don't hunt, but if they randomly happen across a small bit of meat that can't get away... (Emphasis on small, in proportion to their normal meal size. Because yeah, replacing their normal morning ration of grass with a similar-size - or similar-weight - pile of meat is a really bad idea.)

And then a few of the smaller, cuter omnivores are often miscategorized as herbivores. Squirrels, for example.

Warrl wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:45 am And then a few of the smaller, cuter omnivores are often miscategorized as herbivores. Squirrels, for example.

Gwen and I were watching a bunch of antelope squirrels at Valley of Fire this morning. They were chomping down on seeds, mostly, but I saw one stalk and eat an ant... and I understand they will sometimes take prey as large as a mouse.

Dave wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:46 pm

Warrl wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:45 am And then a few of the smaller, cuter omnivores are often miscategorized as herbivores. Squirrels, for example.

Gwen and I were watching a bunch of antelope squirrels at Valley of Fire this morning. They were chomping down on seeds, mostly, but I saw one stalk and eat an ant... and I understand they will sometimes take prey as large as a mouse.

Yep, and there is a very good reason why lots of birds hate squirrels. (Particularly crows, because there it goes both ways: the squirrel is both a threat to the crow's nest/eggs/hatchlings, and potential crow chow.)

Warrl wrote: ↑Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:23 pm

Dave wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:46 pm

Warrl wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:45 am And then a few of the smaller, cuter omnivores are often miscategorized as herbivores. Squirrels, for example.

Gwen and I were watching a bunch of antelope squirrels at Valley of Fire this morning. They were chomping down on seeds, mostly, but I saw one stalk and eat an ant... and I understand they will sometimes take prey as large as a mouse.

Yep, and there is a very good reason why lots of birds hate squirrels. (Particularly crows, because there it goes both ways: the squirrel is both a threat to the crow's nest/eggs/hatchlings, and potential crow chow.)

Also a competitor for other birds' eggs, which crows prey on, i believe

AnotherFairportfan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:18 pm

Warrl wrote: ↑Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:23 pm

Dave wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:46 pmGwen and I were watching a bunch of antelope squirrels at Valley of Fire this morning. They were chomping down on seeds, mostly, but I saw one stalk and eat an ant... and I understand they will sometimes take prey as large as a mouse.

Yep, and there is a very good reason why lots of birds hate squirrels. (Particularly crows, because there it goes both ways: the squirrel is both a threat to the crow's nest/eggs/hatchlings, and potential crow chow.)

Also a competitor for other birds' eggs, which crows prey on, i believe

Crows also prey on smaller birds; I've mostly seen them take sparrows.

--FreeFlier