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I am reading a fiction novel about plants eating other plants. Does it make them "cannibals" or "herbivals"?

delete12345

delete12345

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
19,776
Boston, MA
The story goes about how the world, devastated by humankind in the past, has now been overtaken by plants. And over time, with human species all extinct, these plants become sentient and can communicate with words. Now the world has become a place where plants kill other plants, and eat them raw.

I liked the story, especially with the hero appointed by the kingdom, fighting for moral justice to defeat the opposing kingdom and faction. The story and the world-building are all well-written, and the story has wonderful character development and subplot romances. I could gush all day with how the Tomato princess sage and the Avocado peddler fell in love during their adventures with the hero.

Also that plot twist with the Cucumber and Pickle brothers actually being the anti-heroes is amazing, and I was laughing at their antics while I read the chapters thoroughly.

And here, on a sunny Mother's Day, I'm wondering whether plants eating other plants are considered to be cannibals to each other. Or, should I say they are "herbivals", which are plants who eat and kill other plants for nutrition and essential survival?

Hmmmm

Does anyone know the answer to the question in the thread title?
 
Poltergust

Poltergust

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,858
Orlando, FL
If these plants need to kill and eat other plants to survive, then they are animals, not plants.

Like, the literal classification of what separates animals from the rest of life is that they are multi-cellular beings that primarily must consume other living beings for energy.

It doesn't matter if they can still photosynthesize if it is no longer sufficient enough for survival.
 
RiOrius

RiOrius

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,086
The etymology isn't based on the word meat, it's from the name of a region where the 16th century Spanish believed they ate humans. So no need to change the wording for different physiology.

ascii42 said:
They'd only be cannibals if they were eating the same species of plant.
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That, I would disagree with. If the carrots and cucumbers are both equally sentient, then it still seems pretty wrong to be eating each other. If Kirk decided to eat Spock in Star Trek, he'd get called a cannibal, right?

Granted, if there's no source of food that isn't sentient, then there doesn't really need to be a word for cannibal, 'cause it's just "everyone." It's like how we don't go around calling each other "respirators" because we all breathe.
 
ascii42

ascii42

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,800
Poltergust said:
If these plants need to kill and eat other plants to survive, then they are animals, not plants.

Like, the literal classification of what separates animals from the rest of life is that they are beings that primarily must consume other living beings for energy.

It doesn't matter if they can still photosynthesize if it is no longer sufficient enough for survival.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Carnivorous plants exist and are still in the plant kingdom. For example: the Venus Flytrap.
 
eZipsis

eZipsis

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,448
Melbourne, Australia
Poltergust said:
If these plants need to kill and eat other plants to survive, then they are animals, not plants.

Like, the literal classification of what separates animals from the rest of life is that they are multi-cellular beings that primarily must consume other living beings for energy.

It doesn't matter if they can still photosynthesize if it is no longer sufficient enough for survival.
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This is the biggest plant I've ever seen.

GettyImages-680791823-59af09edaad52b0010486221.jpg
 
ascii42

ascii42

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,800
Poltergust said:
That's a secondary ability it has to acquire more energy and expand the range of environments it can potentially thrive in. It would absolutely die if it can't photosynthesize no matter how many living things they capture, hence it being a plant.
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Fair
TRV said:
So, Gorillas, pandas, rabbits are plants species now? And what about vegans and vegetarians?
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All of those consume living beings. Plants are living beings.
 
RiOrius

RiOrius

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,086
ascii42 said:
Carnivorous plants exist and are still in the plant kingdom. For example: the Venus Flytrap.
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But those don't get energy from their food, just nutrients. EDIT: I think; just saw that the digestive process is way more elaborate than I'd realized. Now I dunno.

That said, I don't think "doesn't eat" is part of the technical definition of plant.

TRV said:
So, Gorillas, pandas, rabbits are plants species now? And what about vegans and vegetarians?
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Those all eat. They eat plants (which are living beings). Plants don't eat plants or animals. They photosynthesize.
 
Spork4000

Spork4000

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,571
Poltergust said:
If these plants need to kill and eat other plants to survive, then they are animals, not plants.

Like, the literal classification of what separates animals from the rest of life is that they are multi-cellular beings that primarily must consume other living beings for energy.

It doesn't matter if they can still photosynthesize if it is no longer sufficient enough for survival.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Actually, animals have to be mobile, have eukaryotic cells and have specialized tissues. If these plants walk and have stomachs they wouldn't be plants, but sense they can get some energy from photosynthesis they wouldn't be animals either. We'd need some other name for them.

Why any creature that eats would need to photosynthesize is beyond me though. It wouldn't help much.
 
Small Red Boy

Small Red Boy

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
May 9, 2019
2,685
Also answering OPs question, I'd say they are not cannibal unless they are eating a plant of their same species. I'd just say they are herbivorous and that's it. Also what kind of plant kingdoms there are? Are they mostly crops?
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
delete12345 said:
The story goes about how the world, devastated by humankind in the past, has now been overtaken by plants. And over time, with human species all extinct, these plants become sentient and can communicate with words. Now the world has become a place where plants kill other plants, and eat them raw.

I liked the story, especially with the hero appointed by the kingdom, fighting for moral justice to defeat the opposing kingdom and faction. The story and the world-building are all well-written, and the story has wonderful character development and subplot romances. I could gush all day with how the Tomato princess sage and the Avocado peddler fell in love during their adventures with the hero.

Also that plot twist with the Cucumber and Pickle brothers actually being the anti-heroes is amazing, and I was laughing at their antics while I read the chapters thoroughly.

And here, on a sunny Mother's Day, I'm wondering whether plants eating other plants are considered to be cannibals to each other. Or, should I say they are "herbivals", which are plants who eat and kill other plants for nutrition and essential survival?

Hmmmm

Does anyone know the answer to the question in the thread title?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
What's the name of the book?
 

Deleted member 4614

Oct 25, 2017
6,345
I think if we get a chance we should adapt photosynthesis into humans. Become little green men
 
Chaos2Frozen

Chaos2Frozen

Member
Nov 3, 2017
28,087
It's only cannibalism if it's the same species.

So to put it simply, if a Rose ate another Rose, it's cannibalism. But if a Rose ate a.... Sunflower, then it's just....... """normal""".
 

Atom

Member
Jul 25, 2021
11,589
Etymology is apparently from Caribs, who (reportedly though iirc this is overstated) are humans. So cannibals is very much specific to eating humans. Probably go with herbibal or tbh herbivore probably captures the same intent since the vore part just means to eat with no specification to who'd doing the eating I don't think.
 
Grym

Grym

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,975
If the carrot eats a carrot. Yeah 'cannibal'

But if a carrot ate an dandelion, no, that's no different than a human eating a pig

...or something...
 
Tuorom

Tuorom

Member
Oct 30, 2017
10,948
Spork4000 said:
Actually, animals have to be mobile, have eukaryotic cells and have specialized tissues. If these plants walk and have stomachs they wouldn't be plants, but sense they can get some energy from photosynthesis they wouldn't be animals either. We'd need some other name for them.
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Dendropedes
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,266
Poltergust said:
If these plants need to kill and eat other plants to survive, then they are animals, not plants.

Like, the literal classification of what separates animals from the rest of life is that they are multi-cellular beings that primarily must consume other living beings for energy.

It doesn't matter if they can still photosynthesize if it is no longer sufficient enough for survival.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Interestingly there is the LeafSheep that eats algae and takes the chloroplasts from their food and store them in structures on their backs that can perform photosynthesis. Cool little critters.
 
Jakenbakin

Jakenbakin

"This guy are sick"
Member
Jun 17, 2018
11,897
HStallion said:
Interestingly there is the LeafSheep that eats algae and takes the chloroplasts from their food and store them in structures on their backs that can perform photosynthesis. Cool little critters.
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How you gonna post this but not include a picture of this sci-fi craziness


SsjIXqj.jpg


It looks like a new Mario NPC race.
 
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