Final answer:
Chocolate is dangerous for many animals because they metabolize theobromine slowly, potentially leading to poisoning and death due to their less developed CNS.
Step-by-step explanation:
Animals metabolize chocolate and its component theobromine slowly because they have a less developed central nervous system (CNS) compared to humans. This slower metabolism can lead to toxicity and death, which is why chocolate is dangerous for many animals.
Chocolate contains substances like theobromine and, to a lesser extent, caffeine, which are metabolized much faster by humans than by many other animals. This slow process can cause a build-up of toxic levels in the animals, affecting their CNS and leading to severe health issues or even death.
Animals do not necessarily have an allergy to chocolate, nor do they have a strong aversion to caffeine. Instead, their bodies lack the efficiency to break down and excrete these compounds rapidly, leading to potential poisoning. This is analogous to how certain plants, such as the white snake root containing tremetol, can poison animals like cows, and the toxin can even be passed on to humans through consumption of the contaminated milk.