History Main / VegetarianCarnivore

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Fanfic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan''. Thestrals are omnivores, and ''must'' eat flesh and drink blood to survive. But since this scared the rest of the pony races, they made up some nonsense about the blood hunger being a mental disorder, made it extremely illegal to drink blood or sell blood to be drunk, and forced the thestrals to use an alchemical substitute which ''barely'' keeps them alive. Needless to say, Princess Luna gets ''very'' angry when she finds out that Celestia permitted all this to happen.

* In Literature/TheBible, [[Literature/BookOfIsaiah]] Isaiah prophesies that when the Messiah comes to reign, "the lion shall eat straw like the ox," and animals will live together in peace. As this is mentioned to be a state of paradise similar to Eden, some theologists think this means that the cycle of predation only came about as a result of The Fall and all animals could once subsist on the plentiful fruits and greens in the garden.

* In Literature/TheBible, Isaiah prophesies that when the Messiah comes to reign, "the lion shall eat straw like the ox," and animals will live together in peace. As this is mentioned to be a state of paradise similar to Eden, some theologists think this means that the cycle of predation only came about as a result of The Fall and all animals could once subsist on the plentiful fruits and greens in the garden.

* Technically all herbivorous mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians are this since the earliest tetrapods were carnivorous/insectivorous, as are many members of said specific lineages such as the earliest mammals.

* The Giant Panda is a classic real-life example. It's really an omnivore and has a digestive system more akin to that of other bears than that of cows or deer. However, its main diet consists of bamboo, to the point that the gene that would normally allow them to taste meat no longer works. This is because bamboo is plentiful and easy for the slow-moving panda to obtain as a food source rather than expending all of its energy chasing after prey, and its high protein, low carbohydrate nutritional profile makes it not too dissimilar to meat. Despite their reputation, giant pandas ''will'' eat meat occasionally if necessary, as shown in a video of a panda eating a cow, or their occasional devouring of bamboo rats. However, their [[CripplingOverspecialization specialization in eating bamboo]] has had the negative side effect of forcing them further up the mountains in search of ever-dwindling bamboo forests as human agriculture cut down the bamboo forests of the lowlands.
** Note that, with the exception of polar bears, bears in general are more inclined to scavenge carcasses or hijack smaller carnivores' kills than to actively hunt down prey. Giant pandas make their preference for browsing on edible plants to an extreme, but their diet isn't ''that'' far from an ordinary black bear's: just a lot less diverse and low on the grubbing for insects.

** Many other carnivores like to supplement their diet with plant material of some fashion, the most famous being dogs and cats occasionally eating grass to settle their stomachs (or to deworm them).

** And it should be emphasized that the operative word here is "vegetarian", not "vegan." This particular lion relied heavily on milk, sometimes the milk of other carnivores which is sort of cheating. And as mentioned above supplements were also key to this.
* Pet foods for dogs and cats typically contain a lot of vegetable matter, albeit processed for easy digestion by a carnivore. Both are mildly omnivorous. Dogs can even be trained to eat vegetarian foods, though this is best done with the advice of a veterinarian to ensure they get the nutrients they need. Otherwise the dog's health is going to be put at risk.
* Many paleontologists believe that the [[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs cave bear]] was almost entirely herbivorous, much like the panda, as evidenced by their dentition and isotope analysis. Also like the panda, however, it may have eaten meat if given the opportunity. And some paleontologists now believe that it was actually as much of an opportunistic omnivore as modern brown bears. Some cave bear skeletons have even been found bearing tooth marks indicating that they may have been cannibalistically eaten by other cave bears.

** Some jumping spiders, especially the Portia Spider, have been observed feeding on nectar.
** Web weaving spiders will usually eat the pollen that gets stuck in their webs. Either when they clean the web or they ingest when they are done. Some species can seasonally get more than 50% of their diet this way.

* There is, believe it or not, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnethead partially herbivorous shark.]] The bonnethead, a type of small hammerhead shark, regularly eats seagrass and in some cases, it constitutes up to half of their diet.
* Perhaps the most bizarre real-life example of this trope is the pitcher plant ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_ampullaria Nepenthes ampullaria]]''. Unlike most pitcher plants, its pitchers are low and wide and grow straight out of the ground. They rarely catch insects, but instead collect leaves and other plant debris falling from the trees, which are then digested by the plant. That's right, this is a carnivorous plant that has become a detritivore.
* [[https://web.archive.org/web/20200123125418/https://www.boredpanda.com/fennec-fox-vegan-diet-animal-abuse-jumanji-sonia-sae/ This tragic tale]] of a captive fennec fox named Jumanji, who was owned by a vegan blogger. She acknowledges all his health problems such as hair loss and blindness; however, she refuses to accept that the unnatural diet is the cause of it!
** Similarly, much like the above, there have been stories of some vegans trying to convert their carnivorous/omnivorous pets to such a diet, much to detriment of their pet's health. Like the above, it often doesn't end well, as the story of [[https://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/cat/jcoates/2013/aug/vegetarian-diet-nearly-kills-kitten-30848 one kitten]] will tell you. What ''really'' doesn't help the latter case is that potatoes are toxic to cats. Hopefully, the owners learned from this.
* Therizinosaurs are currently believed to have been herbivorous theropods that evolved from hyper carnivorous Maniraptors.
* Despite their close resemblance to the carnivorous dromaeosaurids a.k.a. raptors, troodontids are believed to have been omnivores due to the shape of their teeth.
* Despite their [[PiranhaProblem fearsome reputation]], some types of piranha are omnivores or even outright herbivores. ''Tometes camunani'', for example, lives solely off riverweeds.
* Many insects are carnivorous in their larval stage and become nectivores in their adult stage. Most wasps for example. The are a few that are examples, though. Fig wasps do not eat meat in any part of their life cycle, instead feeding on figs and their secretions as grubs.
** While they aren't normally thought of as this, ''bees'' technically count, since they evolved from carnivorous wasp ancestors but most species now feed exclusively on nectar, pollen, and honey.
* The palm-nut vulture is a species of vulture that, as its name suggests, feeds almost exclusively on palm fruit instead of scavenging on the remains of dead animals.

* According to some Young Earth Creationists, carnivorous dinosaurs such as ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' were (or once were) herbivores. When asked what the ''T. rex's'' razor-sharp teeth were used for, they replied that they were [[CriticalResearchFailure used for cracking open coconuts]].

** There's a common creationist belief that ''T. rex'' was a herbivore because its teeth are shallow-rooted and thus tooth breakage would be a major problem for the animal. Before you point out that [[CriticalResearchFailure tyrannosaur teeth have roots twice the length of the crown and were firmly rooted in the jaw]], consider this question: Why would tooth breakage be an issue for an animal whose teeth constantly regenerate throughout its lifetime?

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Most animals will move towards and eat specific food items if they spot them on the ground, with different species having different diets. Foxes, which in real life are opportunistic omnivores that favor meat, will eat fruit and nothing else. This is especially notable for being averted with other animals -- bears are broad omnivores and wolves will only eat meat items.

* Herbert Percival Bear, Esquire from ''VideoGame/ClubPenguin'' hates meat and frozen food, unlike your typical polar bear.
* Baby T. in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' is often shown to eat grass in his IdleAnimation, despite being a predator. This is more apparent in the ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy N. Sane Trilogy]]'' version.

* In the [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1 very first]] ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' game, the crocodilian Kremlings stole the Kongs' Banana Hoard for its nutritional value. This is [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness never brought up in later games]], where the Kremlings and other villains take the bananas to distract the Kongs from their bigger schemes (''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'') and/or to exploit the magical powers of the fruits (''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''). In regards to the first game, this was AccidentallyCorrectWriting considering crocodilians do occasionally eat fruit, including bananas.
* The kittens in ''VideoGame/KittensGame'' feed exclusively on catnip at first. Later upgrades allow you to build pastures to farm unspecified animals, but the FlavorText implies this is solely for their milk.

* Many adaptations of ''VideoGame/{{Snake}}'' have the snake eat only fruit, mushrooms, etc. instead of other animals or meatballs, presumably to [[PredatorsAreMean keep it sympathetic]]. Examples include ''Hyper Viper'', ''[=AxySnake=]'' or ''Super Nibbly''. In reality, snakes are exclusively carnivores.
* Noodle, the snakey protagonist of ''VideoGame/SnakePass,'' is stated to be a vegetarian by the [[AllThereInTheManual loading screen tips.]]
* In the ''Toys/FlushForce'' app, the favorite food of Twin Grin, a two-headed shark, is apples, despite the fact that fish is an option to feed the Flushies.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' are shown to be mostly vegetarians in their cartoon show appearances but have on occasion eaten meat-based products. Though it does make you wonder where the meat actually comes from...

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. An AnimalWrongsGroup claims that they have taught a lion to become a strict vegetarian, in response to Leela pointing out that while humans eat meat, so do animals. [[DeconstructedTrope The lion in question looks very sickly]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome and lets out a single pathetic-sounding cough.]]

* An EnforcedTrope in ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', as it takes place in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals where all animals are sapient and meat is illegal. Carnivores typically eat plant or dairy-based proteins, while chickens and cows can get paid for their unfertilized eggs and milk to be sold for food. [[spoiler:The truth that everyone ignores, however, is that most carnivores do actually eat meat obtained from the Black Market that exists specifically to deal in meat.]]

** And the it should be emphasized that the operative word here is "vegetarian", not "vegan." This particular lion relied heavily on milk, sometimes the milk of other carnivores which is sort of cheating. And as mentioned above supplements were also key to this.

* In the ''Animation/TikTakTail'' episode "Tak Turns Vegetarian", Tik gives a fake doctor's diagnosis to Tak the tiger that requires him to eat only vegetables such as carrots to cure himself. While Tak does try a carrot and [[SubvertedTrope dislikes it]], his sentient tail is more than happy with the deal due to carrots being his [[TrademarkFavrotieFood favorite food]].

'''Note:''' This ONLY applies to carnivorous characters[[note]]including species that are technically omnivorous but typically still need some meat and can't thrive on an all-vegetarian diet, such as dogs[[/note]] that switch to eating just fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods.

* An EnforcedTrope in ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', as it takes place in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals where all animals are sapient and meat is illegal. Carnivores typically eat plant or dairy-based proteins, while chickens and cows can get paid for their unfertilized eggs and milk to be sold for food. [[spoiler:The truth that everyone ignores however, is that most carnivores do actually eat meat obtained from the Black Market that exists specifically to deal in meat.]]

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Pretty much ''all'' Pokémon are shown to love eating berries (mostly because of their status-healing effects, admittedly). This even includes what should be strictly carnivorous Pokémon like Mightyena (a hyena), Liepard (a leopard), Arbok (a cobra) and Rowlet (an owl). This is in the series' Bible. Pokémon are forbidden from being depicted eating each other. A few early episodes didn't follow that rule, however later seasons always do. This is, however, only true of the anime. The games have no issue discussing Pokémon dietary habits.

* According to WordOfGod, this is the case for every carnivorous animal in the ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' universe. Tigress, Viper, and Mantis are shown to greatly enjoy Po's homemade noodles in vegetable broth, while in the spin-off series ''Legends of Awesomeness'', other characters, like the [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile Croc Bandits]] eat apples and other fruits. Wolf Boss in ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' threatens to eat a bunny, but it's unclear whether it's literal or just a figure of speech.

* ''Literature/ALionInTheMeadow'': Exaggerated for the lion-- not only is he a vegetarian, he only eats one thing, namely apples.
* ''Literature/OneStormyNight'' has this as a driving conflict of the plot, because the wolf Gabu is a carnivore but doesn't want to eat his goat friend, Mei. He tries to avoid eating meat, but finds he can't do it.

** "Answers In Genesis" states that they either ate things like watermelons, or had different dental equipment before the fall of man (...long story there).

* In the 90s Canadian kids show ''Series/ChickenMinute'' there is a fox named Minute that became vegetarian since start living in the same shack with a hen named Chicken Mama. He switch to eat popcorn, like a friend of theirs, Anatole Bonbon, an alligator.
* In Jim Henson's ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'', Robbie Sinclair, the son of a megalosaurus and an allosaurus, converts to herbivorism in the episode "I Never Ate For My Father". Earl is initially outraged, but learns to accept it. (This is a series where a major character is a carnivorous triceretops, so it seems diet is entirely a matter of choice.)
* On ''Series/SesameStreet'', a character who appeared regularly in the 1990's was Chicago, a vegetarian lion. His favorite veggie was -- surprise, surprise -- broccoli.

* In the [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1 very first]] ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' game, the crocodilian Kremlings stole the Kongs' Banana Hoard for its nutritional value. This is [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness never brought up in later games]], where the Kremlings and other villains take the bananas to distract the Kongs from their bigger schemes (''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'') and/or to exploit the magical powers of the fruits (''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''). In regards to the first game this was AccidentallyCorrectWriting considering crocodilians do occasionally eat fruit, including bananas.

* Many adaptations of ''VideoGame/{{Snake}}'' have the snake eat only fruit, mushrooms etc. instead of other animals or meatballs, presumably to [[PredatorsAreMean keep it sympathetic]]. Examples include ''Hyper Viper'', ''[=AxySnake=]'' or ''Super Nibbly''. In reality, snakes are exclusively carnivores.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gigantosaurus}}'': All the carnivorous dinosaurs are capable of eating plant material, fruits and nuts, including the titular character who is a normally carnivorous ''Giganotosaurus''.

** Generally speaking, ferrets -- which, like other weasels, in real life eat meat and nothing else -- have a tendency to be shown snacking on bowls of celery, carrots, nuts and leafy greens alongside the rest of Fluttershy's menagerie of woodland critters.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' are shown to be mostly vegetarians in their cartoon show appearances, but have on occasion eaten meat-based products. Though it does make you wonder where the meat actually comes from.

* The Giant Panda is a classic RealLife example. It's really an omnivore, and has a digestive system more akin to that of other bears than that of cows or deer. However, its main diet consists of bamboo, to the point that the gene that would normally allow them to taste meat no longer works. This is because bamboo is plentiful and easy for the slow-moving panda to obtain as a food source rather than expending all of its energy chasing after prey, and its high protein, low carbohydrate nutritional profile makes it not too dissimilar to meat. Despite their reputation giant pandas ''will'' eat meat occasionally if necessary, as shown in a video of a panda eating a cow, or their occasional devouring of bamboo rats. However, their [[CripplingOverspecialization specialization in eating bamboo]] has had the negative side effect of forcing them further up the mountains in search of ever dwindling bamboo forests as human agriculture cut down the bamboo forests of the lowlands.
** Note that, with the exception of polar bears, bears in general are more inclined to scavenge carcasses or hijack smaller carnivores' kills than to actively hunt down prey. Giant pandas take their preference for browsing on edible plants to an extreme, but their diet isn't ''that'' far from an ordinary black bear's: just a lot less diverse and low on the grubbing for insects.

** And the it should be emphasized that the operative word here is "vegetarian" not "vegan." This particular lion relied heavily on milk, sometimes the milk of other carnivores which is sort of cheating. And as mentioned above supplements were also key to this.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark_cucumber aardvark cucumber]] is a species of plant that has evolved a mutual relationship with the aardvark, which eats the fruit for the water, defecates the seeds and buries it. This is interesting because the aardvark otherwise is an exclusive insect eater. Carnivores can actually be ''preferred'' seed dispersers over herbivores because they can't chew up or fully digest the seeds, and it's possible that avocados evolved their fatty flesh and durians evolved their intense odor to trick carnivores into eating them.
* There is, believe it or not, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnethead partially herbivorous shark.]] The bonnethead, a type of small hammerhead shark, regularly eats seagrass and in some cases it constitutes up to half of their diet.
* Perhaps the most bizarre real-life example of this trope is the pitcher plant ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_ampullaria Nepenthes ampullaria]]''. Unlike most pitcher plants, its pitchers are low and wide, and grow straight out of the ground. They rarely catch insects, but instead collect leaves and other plant debris falling from the trees, which are then digested by the plant. That's right, this is a carnivorous plant that has become a detritivore.

* Therizinosaurs are currently believed to have been herbivorous theropods that evolved from hypercarnivorous Maniraptors.

* Many insects are carnivorous in their larval stage and become nectivores in their adult stage. Most wasps for example. The few that aren't are an example though. Fig wasps do not eat meat in any part of their life cycle, instead feeding on figs and their secretions as grubs.
** While they aren't normally though of as this, ''bees'' technically count, since they evolved from carnivorous wasp ancestors but (For most species) now feed exclusively on nectar, pollen, and honey.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' has a trio of sharks, led by a great white [[ShoutOut named]] [[Film/{{Jaws}} Bruce]], that want to give up their fish-eating ways (in a MonstersAnonymous setting) and become vegetarians. It's not made clear what they decide to switch their diet to, but it is shown in the film that they are struggling to make the change.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' has a trio of sharks, led by a great white [[ShoutOut named]] [[Film/{{Jaws}} Bruce]]), that want to give up their fish-eating ways (in a MonstersAnonymous setting) and become vegetarians. It's not made clear what they decide to switch their diet to, but it is shown in the film that they are struggling to make the change.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' has a trio of sharks (led by a great white shark [[ShoutOut named]] [[Film/{{Jaws}} Bruce]]) that want to give up their fish-eating ways and become vegetarians. It's not made clear what they decide to switch their diet to, but it is shown in the film that they are struggling to make the change.

* According to WordOfGod, this is the case for every carnivorous animal in the ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' universe. Tigress, Viper, and Mantis are shown to greatly enjoy Po's homemade noodles in vegetable broth, while in the spin-off series ''Legends of Awesomeness'', other characters, like the [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile Croc Bandits]] eat apples and other fruits.

** While they aren't normally though of as this, ''bees'' technically count, since they evolved from carnivorous wasp ancestors but now feed exclusively on nectar, pollen, and honey.

In the world of fiction, however, this isn't the case. A normally carnivorous character can easily switch to a strictly vegetarian diet whenever they want without worrying about digestive problems. This usually occurs in shows with many {{Funny Animal}}s as a means to address CarnivoreConfusion by establishing a normally carnivorous animal as someone who prefers dining on a carrot to dining on a rabbit. It is often used for MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch characters to indicate that they have switched their diet to separate themselves from their more "predatory" associates, since HerbivoresAreFriendly. Or, though not as often, maybe they decide that hunting for food is too much work and decide to just switch to veggies.

In the world of fiction, however, this isn't the case. A normally carnivorous character can easily switch to a strictly vegetarian diet whenever they want without worrying about digestive problems. This usually occurs in shows with many {{Funny Animal}}s as a means to address CarnivoreConfusion by establishing a normally carnivorous animal as someone who prefers dining on a carrot to dining on a rabbit. It is often used for MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch characters to indicate that they have switched their diet to separate themselves from their more "predatory" associates. Or, though not as often, maybe they decide that hunting for food is too much work and decide to just switch to veggies.