Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-26172435-20160330122846/@comment-26172435-20160331204458

@ Gil~Galad:

Hermaphrodites? Nah, I don't think so. Here's a brief overview list of known hermaphrodite animal species. Orcs just don't fit in ... and given the suggestion in lore that Melkor started their 'engineered evolution' based on an elvish gene-pool, I find hermaphrodism very unlikely.

The notion of mother orcs feeding their bodies to their children is not just pretty horrifying, it may also be illogical when looking at the development of the digestion system in humanoid species. Small children aren't really capable of digesting flesh in an early age.

The nourishment of small and grown-up orcs may be an interesting subject as well ...

My guess is that they may have consumed relative large amounts of flesh and blood, and cannibalism may indeed have been 'used' from both practical (the harsh selection process and disposal of useless individuals) and intentional (make them feel their life is worth nothing, so they won't have anything to lose) point of view. Young orcs would have been fed with milk and blood (see Maasai) for the proteins, and vegetables and carbohydrate sources (bread) to complete their menu.

... any additional thoughts?