Is there one nutrient that all animals need?

Question

Is there one nutrient that all animals need?

Answer 1

All animals must take in some kind of food for energy. That includes carbohydrates and fats. All animals must take in proteins to make new tissue. They can do this with plant or animal protein. All need water. In some cases the water is obtained through certain foods. Minerals are obtained through plants and water. Some vitamins are not needed by all animals.Humans need vitamin C. The only other animals that require it are monkeys, guinea pigs and dalmatians. I did research on vitamin C.

Answer 2

Water.

Answer 3

All animals (including humans) need a balance of carbohydrates, proteins,  fats, and vitamins/minerals to function. (And, yes, water too :)

-Carbohydrates include sugars and starches that provide enough calories to allow growth.

-Proteins include amino acids that synthesize proteins that most animals cannot produce on their own.

-Fats or fatty acids provide concentrated energy than can be stores (in fat cells) for later use.

-Minerals or "inorganic ions" are needed in small amounts to      build strong bones/teeth, control body fluids, and help digest food.

-Vitamins are also needed in small amounts and are stored in the body for use of bodily functions.

All animals have various needs and different diets (stuff they eat) so they all need different balances of all these items listed above.

For example, a certain animal may not live in an environment where it can find a lot of the fatty acids it needs, so the species may evolve (over ten-thousand years) to be able to make the fatty acid on it's own.