Why Don't We Eat Carnivores?
Added 2024-04-26 01:49:59 +0000 UTCMost of you know I'm a big fan of carnivores, and a big fan of food. So I've long wondered why - considering all the animals we humans regularly eat around the world - so few of them are carnivores? I finally decided to dig in and look into the science behind this question.
You can check out our video here on Patreon, or on YouTube with this link: https://youtu.be/o7d6cZsLo6c
Let us know what YOU think the most plausible hypothesis (or hypotheses) are, and thanks - as always - for your incredible support!
-Kate
Comments
oh definitely! Especially considering domesticated animals.
MinuteEarth
2024-05-07 17:51:47 +0000 UTCThe parasite (and other baddies) accumulation hypothesis sound plausible. And the biology of fish is sufficiently different to ours that this hypothesis matters less. As for the efficiency - the nature doesn't care about it (I saw a video recently - possibly your video - about a bear that catches fish, takes a bite out of each and throws it away. Than it goes on to catch more fish. That's very inefficient. Here's is a good area where organised religion can make humans adapt much quicker than evolution of taste. Once we started farming we needed an incentive to only eat efficiently grown meat.
Bartosz Błaszkiewicz
2024-04-26 06:34:13 +0000 UTCThe "taste" and "religion" aspects are the ones that should be thrown out the window. Those are the traits that humans have and they pass on to future generations, but those traits themselves evolve and contribute to natural selection on human species. (Yes - if your religion forbids you from eating dangerous food it helps you out-compete other tribes). Therefore - our tastes and religion are the result of other things being either good or bad for us. The question we should be asking is "why we evolved to like such and such food?" or "why did this ancient religion that managed to survive until today forbid such and such things to it's members?"
Bartosz Błaszkiewicz
2024-04-26 06:29:06 +0000 UTCIsn't ease of hunting also a possible concern, ie. it's easier to hunt an animal that can less easily 'fight back' ..? And thanks - another great video, esp given its something not very well studied but certainly an interesting observation!
Jason Snowden
2024-04-26 05:24:57 +0000 UTC
