7 ms·
Dolphins, which are another highly intelligent species, don't seem to have any qualms about eating octopus.
by qyv 10y ago
Dolphins, which are another highly intelligent species, don't seem to have any qualms about eating octopus.
- db48x 10y agoYes, but we don't eat dolphin because we regard them as too intelligent (unless they spend all their money on the lottery).
- oh_sigh 10y agoAre you sure about that? Are you sure it isn't just because they are relatively rare and their meat doesn't taste good?
- semi-extrinsic 10y agoAlso tradition. E.g. pigs are about equal in intelligence to dolphins and chimpanzees.
- spullara 10y agoThings might change if we find out they are made of bacon.
- pc86 10y agoI'm willing to bet if they tasted half as good as octopus they would already be extinct.
- eru 10y agoMink Whales are delicious. (Just out of ignorance, I would assume dolphins probably taste similar-ish?)
- soundwave106 10y agoI've only found a few posts that describe the taste of dolphin. This entry (https://www.wideislandview.com/2010/03/28/bon-appetit-what-its-like-to-eat-flipper/ https://www.wideislandview.com/2010/03/28/bon-appetit-what-i...) described it as tasting like liver with a beefy texture. That doesn't sound terribly appetizing to my personal taste.
- bluGill 10y agoWe do eat dolphin. Mahi mahi type of dolphin, I buy it at Costco: it is good.
- pacaro 10y agohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahi-mahi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahi-mahi Mahi-mahi is a fish
- astrodust 10y agoSpoiler: Costco doesn't sell dolphin.
- Fezzik 10y agofor clarity, though sometimes called a "dolphin", mahi mahi is a fish, not in the Mammalia class, like an actual Dolphin... so they are quite different.
- tropo 10y agoI've seen it labeled "dolphin". I asked the seller if it was really dolphin, and he said yes, so I bought it. It tasted suspiciously like fish. :-(
- tdfx 10y agoIt's a dolphinfish (actually quite an ugly fish and visually very distinct from a mammalian dolphin).
- eru 10y agoWhales are delicious, too. (I had Mink Whale in Iceland. Tastes like good beef.) I expect most dolphins to taste similar.
- throwanem 10y agoSpeak for yourself. I don't eat dolphin out of professional respect from one apex predator to another.
- test1235 10y agoI doubt most people these days would be considered apex predators. The only way I'd be an apex predator was if my prey was some sort of vegetable.
- throwanem 10y ago"Apex predator" is a species category, and our species is so efficient at hunting that most of us never have to be involved with any aspect of the process save the end product. If that doesn't qualify for "apex predator", what does?
- muninn_ 10y agoDolphins most likely don't have any notions of ethics.
- erikpukinskis 10y agoI don't think that's it. It's just a matter of choices. We can eat things like fresh sourdough bread and kimchi which are also very tasty. Dolphins are fighting for survival every day. I suspect life will only get harsher for them as the oceans are dying. We have supermarkets. They have limited choices. Killing and eating a pig when you need it to survive is not immoral. Killing a pig because you felt like having pork rinds, and then leaving the rest of the body to rot because you'd rather have steak is immoral. While there are dolphins who won't eat octopuses because it's dangerous or difficult, I bet there are some who won't because they empathize with them. If the humans in this thread can empathize with an octopus why couldn't a dolphin?
- BurningFrog 10y ago> Dolphins are fighting for survival every day The dolphin life span varies between 20-50 years for the various species.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago"Killing a pig because you felt like having pork rinds, and then leaving the rest of the body to rot because you'd rather have steak is immoral." But when does that happen? Wouldn't the butcher or supermarket usually sell most of the meat and the rest of the carcass is used for dog food or whatever? I suppose there is probably some waste, but I find it hard to believe there are animals left to rot as you describe simply due to economics.
- badestrand 10y agoMaybe not at the butcher but in peoples's fridges for sure. Isn't it that a quarter of food gets thrown away?
- gozur88 10y ago
- afterburner 10y agoNeither do many humans. But there are many, many differences between humans and dolphins. We're smarter, for one. Debate philosophy. Are rarely seriously in danger of starving. Have much more culture. Etc., etc.
- LordKano 10y agoPeople starve to death every day. How are you defining "rarely"?
- afterburner 10y agoCompared to animals.
- flukus 10y agoAre dolphins ever in danger of starving? Looks like they have a fairly abundant food supply that we're the biggest threat to.
- pvaldes 10y agoSometimes they died from this cause, yes. The problem is not the available food, is the non-food items present also in the same place. Stomach blockages are not uncommon.
- self_assembly 10y agoDolphins also don't seem to have qualms about raping and other violent behavior. I don't think humans should base their ethics around what a dolphin would do.
- saiya-jin 10y agothere was also a video around showing dolphin masturbating with severed head of some smaller fish... pretty sick by any standards
- probablah 10y agoDolphins are clearly intelligent, but not smart enough to organize a colony of many thousands of permanent shelters, and share community surplus that advances a dolphin civilization that benefits those who participate. So, probably as intelligent as nomadic pre-historic humans. I wouldn't rate that as "highly" intelligent. Just somewhat intelligent. These are still pre-historic dolphins, since they don't seem to record history for themselves yet. If they carry oral traditions, they seem to be limited to hunting techniques, and not specific events and personalities measured across time. There is no evidence of symbolism invented by dolphins.
- krzat 10y agoMaybe the only reason for dolphins not having civilisation is lack of hands.
- probablah 10y agoSo what? They're under water. If anything that makes it easier to alter their environment with lasting effects. In calm waters, it would be trivial to dig trenches and stack rocks, to create structures, as hunting traps or dens. Either way, the octopus is similarly prehistoric, despite readily prehensile appendages. Nor does a lack of hands readily explain the level of elephant intelligence, given a prehensile trunk.
- psyc 10y agoThere are plenty of people who question whether agrarian civilization was a smart move.
- probablah 10y agoAnd there are also plenty of animals that question whether their own role in human agrarian society is a smart move. Hint: the animals are less intelligent for doing so.
- leephillips 10y agoDouglas Adams has done some interesting research along these lines.