Why are some animals considered "taboo" to eat?

Hello there guys! I am guessing most of my viewers in America typically love their beef and pork meals, but this is not the case for everyone. All around the world, cultures and societies have taboos and practices that limit what animals they can eat. In this short little video, I will attempt to discuss the possible anthropological explanations of why certain animals - namely pigs and cows - are considered "taboo" to eat in some cultures.
Special thanks to ‪@iammrbeat‬ for collaborating with me on this video! I think he's really awesome and makes terrific history video content! (And he's really nice too!)
Definitely check out his companion video discussing taboos associated with Cats, Dogs, and Horses over on his channel: • Why Don't We Eat Cats,...
Background Music by by Twin Musicom (twinmusicom.org)
Citations
Finkelstein, Israel; Silberman, Neil Asher (2001). The Bible Unearthed.
Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica.
Hitchens, Christopher (2007). A Short Digression on the Pig; or, Why Heaven Hates Ham.
Jha, Dwijendra Narayan. The Myth of the Holy Cow. London/New York: Verso 2002
Service, K. W. R. N. (2015, November 5). The 'Splainer: What makes the cow sacred to Hindus? Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com/nation...
Killebrew, A. E. (2005). Biblical peoples and ethnicity: an archaeological study of Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and early Israel, 1300-1100 B.C.E. Leiden: Brill.
Krishna, Nanditha (2014), Sacred Animals of India, Penguin Books Limited.
Animals and Society: An Introduction to Human-animal Studies, Margo DeMello, p.314, Columbia University Press, 2012.
Harris, Marvin (1987). The Abominable Pig. The Sacred Cow and the Abominable Pig: Riddles of Food and Culture. Touchstone Books.

[@veritasEtjusticia]

A husband and his wife were in their kitchen. The husband was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper while his wife was preparing a ham for dinner. The husband watched the wife cut off about one inch from either end of the ham. He asked why she cut the end off, proclaiming “that’s a waste of good ham!” She said “that’s the way my mom prepared the ham.” The husband asked “why did your mom cut the ends off?” The wife didn’t know. Later, the wife called her mom to find out why she cut the ends of the ham off. Her mom said “because that was the way my mom prepared ham.” The wife’s grandma passed away several years earlier, but her Grandpa was still living. She called her Grandpa and asked “Grandpa, why did Grandma cut the ends off of the ham?” He was silent as he thought for a moment. Then he replied, “so the ham could fit in the baking pan.”

[@bungalowfeuhler1541]

veritasEtjusticia Plus it makes it look like cartoon meat. 🍖

[@pansepot1490]

This must be the fourth time I have read the same story or some slightly different version of it.

[@veritasEtjusticia]

@@pansepot1490 It's a story that's often used to illustrate cultural training. It's usually the woman's daughter who asks why she's cutting the ends off but the above version was the first that came up in my search so I copy/pasted that one.

[@chickknightgreenleaf820]

and that's how tradition formed

[@Poodleinacan]

@@chickknightgreenleaf820 And that is why you are circumcised, little Timmy.

[@bowemorning]

In Britain, you're not allowed to kill and eat swans because they belong to the Queen.

[@YusufGinnah]

@Bowe Morning 👍🏼 WOW! You learn everyday... PS: That worked out for *The Ugly* *Duckling* in the fairytale... 🤣🤦🏻‍♂️😷👍🏼

[@jamiee7367]

How does that work? So are _all_ swans in Britain just... legally owned by the Queen?

[@lv2draw1]

@@jamiee7367 yup. To be specific - Queen co-owns all unmarked mute swans on “certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tr tributaties" The queen also owns all whales, dolphins and porpoises in british waters due to a 1324 law that was never repealed.

[@theabsolutemadlad2240]

If you kill a swan it's considered treason I think too

[@anniesearle6181]

@@jamiee7367 It's a relic of Henry VIII- restrictions on the lower classes were very common, what clothing style/colour/material, swans were often eaten by nobility and as such restrictions were put on who could eat them. Early in the medieval period, all land was free to any who wanted to use it, for hunting etc, but in the late medieval period, there was a process of 'enclosing' the land- making it either the private property of local nobility or the crown, making hunting on those lands poaching. As swans were very popular with the nobility and could feed a peasant family for weeks if used properly, tighter restrictions were placed. Then ofc Henry VIII wanted them to be reserved only for him and he was able to do so. Every swan chick born in the UK is tagged with a unique serial number on a ring around their leg. If anyone is caught killing one they can be sent to prison

[@dougthedonkey1805]

“Isn’t that right, Mr Beat?” *Mr Beat doesn’t answer the question*

[@alvarodiaz2221]

I guess you can say, he just beat around the bush.

[@samgamgee7384]

Neither does Trey explain. He just speculates and admits no one really knows for sure. Also, for all his carrying on about Jewish dietary restrictions he never even mentions Islamic ones, which are virtually identical.

[@znightowlz6585]

Sam Gamgee NO SHIT ITS SPECULATION. He explains why he by giving you the current speculations within reason. Saying “it’s just speculation” is really dumb

[@carlospedro5554]

De facto ninguém consegue explicar de forma razoável...á 30 anos que me coloco essa questão! Só consigo chegar a uma conclusão: No caso dos gatos e cães é mesmo cultural,já que por exemplo nos países chamados ocidentais e não só,são criados principalmente como de "estimação"...as pessoas ganham afeição a tal ponto que já o consideram um membro da família.(ponto final) então já lhes parece inconcebível comer tal "irmão"..na China ao invés as classes camponesas criavam cães como se fossem porcos (foi-me explicado por uma senhora cuja língua de nascença era o mandarim..Quem tinha porco(s) tinha que pagar uma taxa(imposto) então por absoluta necessidade de carne para a festa anual tinham o cão que tal como come os restos das refeições..uma solução e "enganavam" as autoridades..claro depois ficou "cultural"

[@shayshayshayshayshayshayshay]

THANKS TREY!

[@piafantastic6323]

This was sorta covered in the video, but my grandmother always says that the original reason Hindus consider cows holy was because the common people were so heavily dependent on cows. When the rulers tried to tax cattle they claimed that they were holy to not be deprived of their livelihood. This then was integrated into religious practices. Or so the story goes.

[@vaidehimohan9400]

Mostly that would be the actual reason.

[@CheeHoewCheng]

Consumption of beef was forbidden in ancient China for the same reason. Only the sovereign was allowed to sacrifice oxen to the heavens.

[@randomcatmeow1394]

@@CheeHoewCheng I am a chinese and I have never heard of beef being forbidden in ancient China. The people normally dont eat beef is because cow is a valuable draft animal at that time, not because it's forbidden

[@kakyoindonut3213]

@@randomcatmeow1394 wait you can use youtube? I thought china block youtube

[@randomcatmeow1394]

@@kakyoindonut3213 there are Chinese living outside of China. In addition, you can always download vpn to access websites like Google and KZbin even if you are in China

[@chrisiak5720]

Camilopardalis means "spotted camel" in greek and its still the word used for giraffe in modern greek

[@jonstfrancis]

I thought it mean leopard-camel? Anyway, same thing really, it does mean giraffe.

[@Jeuro38]

And in its scientific name ;)

[@kamprouristheoharis8458]

I think the -pardali ending is the word παρδαλή, which means spotted

[@arkadeepkundu4729]

It's a tall camel that looks like a leopard. Makes sense

[@Jeuro38]

@@jonstfrancis +Arkadeep Kundu Spotted camel. Leopard is spotted lion (Leo)

[@ehanviles7498]

As someone who has eaten monk fish anyone who doesn’t isn’t really missing out. Their really rubbery and flavorless

[@raphaelmarquez9650]

But do they contain mercury is the question.

[@ehanviles7498]

Raphael Marquez don’t all fish have some level of mercury in them?

[@xmrmeow]

I've only had monkfish once at a very nice Italian restaurant. It was excellent. I feel like it's probably someone that's really good when cooked right and really bad when cooked wrong. Plenty of shellfish is awful when overcooked and toxic if undercooked

[@stevenshea990]

It's a good lobster substitute in seafood stews

[@hedgehog3180]

New theory: The dietary restrictions just exist because it tasted like shit.

[@FatUberUddersOfChaos]

In my country (Netherlands) we sometimes eat horse. We mostly ate it when my father was out of work. Horse meat was cheaper, so we could still afford that.

[@MRCOLOURfilld]

Yeah it seems to be a classism thing in the US. Like “you are so poor you would eat your horse”. Technically eating horse isn’t illegal but the sale of it sort of is. Because the USDA was defunded they cannot send inspectors to the slaughterhouses. So no inspections = no sale but the US still sends horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

[@hamsterama]

My feeling about why horse meat is taboo in the US, is because horses here are considered pets, not livestock. I mean, think about it, little girls dream of owning a pony. Taking horseback riding lessons is a popular hobby. So, eating a horse meat would be like eating someone's pet cat. And, you really don't want to eat horse here, anyway. I once read that many horses, such as thoroughbreds, are injected with all sorts of performance-enhancing medications. That goes right into the muscle, and makes the horse probably unsafe to eat. The only way to avoid that would be to raise horses specifically for their meat. But, no one would do that, because there's no demand for horse meat in the US.

[@darkwraithraziel6362]

@@MRCOLOURfilld Well in American history the horse was either your work animal or your means of transportation. Eating your horse is the modern day equivalent of selling your car to pay bills.

[@oldrabbit8290]

in my country (Vietnam), some (and i repeat, only some - I really hate that stereotype) will eat anything, especially if you told them that these animals will improve their health/libido - at least according to the dubious Chinese "medicine". And because we don't really have any religion that can put a taboo tag on these animals, so it's all free game. - cat: for "health". Since tiger bones are powerful "medicine", people think that these "little tiger" could have the same, albeit weaker, effect as the real deal. - horse: for "health". Horse bones are supposed to be quite "strong"; its flesh is kinda a by-product. - snake: for "health". Rarely eaten, but people like to pickle them in alcohol. - dog: nothing really - I guess some people just like its taste (dog-eating practice is actually quite common in many cultures, just search wiki). My theory is that the practice began during famines - if you can't feed your children, why feed a dog? and if you have to kill your dog anyway, why not eat it (especially when you are already starving). And because we have an especially bad famine quite recently (in 1945), with reports of cannibalism no less, it makes sense that the practice can still survive to this day..

[@starandfox601]

It's not classism thing.it's cuase horses are considered companion animals and it's nasty to eat something that you have a bond with. Another reason is cuase cats,dogs and horses are also working animals rather then food animals.for example if farmers ate their dog they'd starve cuase dogs are for protecting live stock and making them go where you want.so no dog no way to manage or protect livestock. If farmers ate their cats rodents would eat their food.meaning they'd starve from all their food being eaten. If a farmer ate their horse they'd defaintly starve since the horse pulls wagons,plows,helps round up live stock,ECT.

[@ultimate_animal_showdown]

* eating bird is not really considered to being taboo in any religion * The chipmunk in my backyard: *It’s free real estate.*

[@issaazrael8404]

Eating clawed predator birds is actually taboo in Islam

[@halevytomer]

Issa Azrael same in judaism

[@hailgiratinathetruegod7564]

@@issaazrael8404 it comes from judaisim

[@nickcarroll8565]

Jews also forbid eating the 🦇, which was classified as a bird in the OT.

[@LeanYeenMachine]

Nick Carroll The 🦗was also considered a bird in the OT

[@nulllex0099]

From a purely cultural POV, taboos are so bloody bizarre when you look at it from the outside. Like, within your own culture, you grow up with a very clear picture of what's okay and what isn't that you barely even question, and when you see the same rules in other cultures, but applied to sth else, you just don't get it. Like, I come from one that does eat horse (though I've never done it myself) and have at least one insect-based dish (which I bloody adore), it's odd how I can relate to how a fair amount of westerners flinch at the thought of eating a dog, and yet, when they think eating bugs is the weirdest shit ever, I draw a blank, because it's normal to me.

[@bm-ub6zc]

what is with inc*st?

[@iammrbeat]

It was great to collaborate with you, Trey. I learned a lot from this, which perhaps tells me my own research was subpar. :) Hey everybody else, I wanted to let you know that Trey really is one of the nicest dudes on KZbin. Seriously, like the nicest guy I have ever collaborated with.

[@monkemum6400]

Bruh that yms reference good doe. Have reddit gold

[@YusufGinnah]

@Mr. Beat Thanks for being here bud...👍🏼 You helped make it even better... Cheers!

[@Ethan7s]

Both of you are among my favorite KZbinrs. But for this particular video, trey got a lot wrong.

[@Frogboyaidan]

Who is Mr beat I only know Mr beast

[@LeidenPierce]

I'm just replying to this comment because i didn't see any other of the top comments mentioning that sly YMS reference when you talked about horses

[@flopgopple]

Yer fond of me lobster, aint ye? I SEEN IT. Yer FOND of me LOBSTER.

[@JamesOfTheYear]

Why'd you have to spill yer beans...

[@Darkdragon902.]

It’s bad luck to kill a seabird...

[@AitorMolina.]

It's bad luck to kill a barn owl.

[@leonardogomez8812]

It's bad luck to kill a Dipersaurus

[@ratbat1072]

It's bad luck to resurrect a basking shark

[@shilpanaiskar3503]

In Hinduism, Drinking cow's milk is compared to a child drinking mother's milk. Hence cows are considered motherly

[@tanyanikolaevagizdova6571]

Trey mentioned them being motherly.

[@ganeshshenoy2615]

Cows maybe taboo for consumption. But, water buffalos are slaughtered indifferently. India is after all the second largest exporter and 7th largest in domestic consumption.

[@ganeshshenoy2615]

But, in general killing/eating any large animal in India is taboo in India. Ostrich es are breed in India, but general public will never consume one or it's egg.

[@aryyancarman705]

@@ganeshshenoy2615 yea i dunno why is it here like that

[@cv4809]

But drinking goat milk somehow isn't considered motherly, such a stupid rule

[@fattiger6957]

I've heard that in medieval Europe, eating chicken was considered a luxury because it was more economical to keep them for eggs. Pigs tend to be a popular meat in Europe and Asia I think because pigs are one of the easiest animals to raise ( they eat anything) and they don't have additional uses like cows, chickens, goats and sheep.

[@valtontony826]

Wow, good observation

[@chickaboom163]

I wanna say that in medieval Europe that peasantry wasn't allowed to eat or hunt deer. For it Deer was for upper class or royalty. Didn't stop them tho. They did just hunt deer illegally and did their best to hide or dispose of rhe evidence.

[@DeHeld8]

I remember when this big scandal in the UK broke out that a lot of meat sold as beef was actually horse meat, and the British public totally freaking out about it. Being Dutch myself I was like: oh, yeah that's not good sales-practice... But horse meat is fine. It's actually very good value for your money if you can get horse meat for the price of beef! All the while the British public was revolted by the idea of having eaten horse meat.

[@Tatwinus]

I once had a chef teacher who'd spent a lot of time in the merchant fleet. He had eaten pretty much everything and said cultural taboos were pretty much up to what was easy to store for some time or riddled with parasites.

[@SkibroDuck]

In Asia they eat anything and everything. I mean anything. Animal feet, bout, nasty stuff.

[@fadhiladinugraha]

@@SkibroDuck it's not nasty if you can cook it with the right technique, also the taste is quite good. 😊

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

To me, Chinese cuisine seems to strongly reflect a cultural history of surviving through famine, and dealing with big wealth gaps? Similar patterns pop up in many Irish & Eastern Eurpoean dishes too. Examples inc. using all parts of the animal (blood soup, chicken feet) because you cannot afford to discard anything; relying mainly on starches with less animal protein; and (in Chinese dishes like 'Buddha's Delight', at least) a strong emphasis on what would've originally been foraged foods, in addition to domesticated ones.

[@geriboja8166]

Spinosaurus: *gets updated* Trey: *sigh* here we go again.

[@KE29146]

Would you mind explaining to someone outside the loop? Is that the dino his avatar is based on?

[@geriboja8166]

@@KE29146 its a dino that just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

[@KhanMann66]

It's dinosaurs that keeps saying "F- You dinosaur community!"

[@Zed9659]

It's a duck

[@prehistoricworld_]

We all know Trey just made this to logisticise his love of eating barn owls

[@crackedemerald4930]

He's the ultimate cryptid

[@Rynewulf]

That's why cryptids are so rare, he keeps eating them! :0

[@andrewp8284]

When he’s in the mood for seafood he eats basking sharks

[@Zed9659]

And then eates peterosaurs for lunch

[@Spoogebro]

I’m half Nepali and my aunts always told me cow was only made taboo for economic reasons. They said that as we ate our cheeseburgers at least.

[@samiamrg7]

A theory I’ve read for the prohibition of pork consumption in certain cultures stems from pork requiring cooking at a higher temperature than many lther meats to kill off all the nasty microbes and make it safe to eat. The theory goes that it was too easy to under-cook pork and become sickened by it, leading to certain cultures deciding that it isn’t worth the trouble.

[@eleutherosdesmwths739]

Trey the Explainer: "camelopardalis, possibly an ancient word for giraffe" Modern Greek: Am i a joke to you? Ancient Greek: Actually he is right!

[@fotistsichlas3599]

It's the Ancient Greek word for giraffe. Literally means Camel Leopard. Cause giraffes look like tall camels with the coat patterns of leopard. I guess it made sense to the first person to call it that.

[@constantinsmakro6200]

@@fotistsichlas3599 Thats not it love, pardali means spotted. Nothing to do with leopard... In greek leopardali mean lion with spotted coat...

[@leowa399]

@@constantinsmakro6200 but that's probably how the leopard came to be. Because people thought he was a lion with a spotted coat. Therefore it's both correct. You have lions --> leopards = lions with spotted coats --> Giraffes = camel/leopards(aka camel/lion with spotted coats) It's very interesting how the languages evolve

[@constantinsmakro6200]

@@leowa399 what you say doesnt make sense, its specific words combined to create one, camilopardali is composed of the word camel in greek camila and pardali, not the words camel and leopard... Leopard which is leopardali in greek is leo=lion pardali=Spoted. Simple! Yeah they though a leopard is a lion with a different color propably but that has nothing to do with a camel, pardali is just a word describing a color...

[@leowa399]

@@constantinsmakro6200 ah okay :D thanks for correcting me. It's nice to learn something new :)

[@dafttool]

You left out “not eating Cetaceans” because of their intelligence, a whole new category for the modern age that is completely independent of any religious influences, but instead have to do with being intellectually enlightened. The same could be said of eating fellow primates. There are people that would eat both, but large segments that would never ever on their own moral grounds

[@Trathaal]

•TheKaisTzar • I was gonna say the same. Cuttlefish too.

[@xavier9146]

All animals are intelligent to some degree, capable of experiencing pain and pleasure, and many commonly consumed animals such as pigs and cows even surpass many humans, namely the mentally handicapped and recently born. If your metric for determining which animals are ethical to eat is intelligence, acknowledging that some animals are smarter than some humans leads to the logical conclusion that some humans are ethical to hunt and eat.

[@cattheveganartist]

Xavier Lomeli very well put. 👏🏻

[@xavier9146]

This realization is why i am a vegan btw. I would not want some superior entity, like an alien or AI, or indeed other humans, to justify my oppression on the basis of my inferior intelligence.

[@Ptaku93]

The scientific enlightment of today is the backwards superstition of tomorrow

[@rocky-jp5rp]

In ancient india it was said that "cattle is wealth" . It gives you milk like a mother does. That was mostly the reason in ancient india, and that tradition still goes on.

[@LimeyLassen]

There's also the possibility that it's completely arbitrary. Like how Mormons don't drink coffee. Their prophet said not to drink coffee, so they don't. No particular reason.

[@semi-useful5178]

The reason we don't drink coffee is the same reason we don't smoke or chew tobacco, the Prophet's wife ) Smith) was sick of cleaning the spills.

[@Revanbzn]

He probably just hated coffee

[@nekrosis6560]

@@Revanbzn Prophet: Ugh, this crap is so bitter it must be from hell! Followers: *Gasp* Write that down!

[@boygenius538_8]

Yup, Muslims don’t eat pork because the Quran says so, I imagine it’s the same with Jews. You listen and obey, if God or a prophet said something you don’t need to apply your own logic.

[@chickaboom163]

I was raised Mormon. The reasoning I was given was given is that substances like Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco can become addictive and we were to avoid succumbing to such addictions. As well as the obituary, this stuff can be detrimental to your health that most ppl say about some of said substances. Mormons rlly like the idea of being healthy in body and mind. There's a whole your body is a temple/gift and you should keep it maintained thing.

[@PinkPearMartini]

I'm glad you pointed out the similarities between pig meat/hide and human meat/hide. I don't think it's a coincidence that the cultures and religions that forbid eating meat also have stories about being lost and starving in the desert for a very long time. People act like I'm crazy any time I point that out, and just can't get past the shocking idea of cannibalism. But it's been proven time and time again that desperate people will eat other people to survive. And yes, of course it bothers their sense of morality to their very core. So imagine how horrifying it would also be to consume human meat and discover that it tastes deliciously familiar!

[@jessepinkman3075]

Nice video TREY, can you please make another video in the style of disabled people in ancient times. I really liked that one because it kinda gave me an idea as to how humans were in that time, as I said it can be any topic just if it's in the same style 😃

[@erinrising2799]

i heard that the pigs not being Kosher is because they were so closely related to boar. And boars sometimes eat humans. So to be 100% sure didn't commit cannibalism once removed, you didn't eat pigs

[@paulmiller7838]

The main reason they were so hard to distinguish from their neighboring canninite neighbors is because they were a sect of cannintes themselves.

[@f0rm0r]

Whereas the Philistines were one of the Sea Peoples who migrated from the Aegean Sea.

[@paulmiller7838]

@@f0rm0r I was under the impression that the identity of the sea peoples was still not known for sure. There are several different theories but has there been any proof as to who they exactly were? Being purported to come from Either Anatolia or possible Sicily is rather well....vague at best. And again, they are purported to be a conglomeration of tribes, but no one knows for sure if that is in fact the case do they? I would like to hear what information you have as it is a fascinating subject.

[@Alexander-tu3iv]

@@paulmiller7838 The dominant hypothesis is that they were from various parts of the Aegean and possibly Sardinia. There was a DNA study done recently showing that philistines had a high percentage of European DNA, origins were unsure but Sardinia, Crete, Iberia and Greece are some options. The tie to the sea peoples is pottery, where the style changed to a greek one at around the 12th-13th century BC which coincides with the arrival of the sea peoples, they also used an Aegean instead of Semitic script. Still very little is actually known about the sea people beyond that, all that can really be said is that some European people from the Mediterranean moved into philistine and that there was an abrupt change in pottery style corresponding to when the sea people were active. Could be the sea people, could just be people who migrated into areas devestated by the sea people. Wouldn't surprise me if it was the 1st one.

[@paulmiller7838]

@@Alexander-tu3iv Thank you for that information. I can see why the thought that they could be that some of the marauding sea people settled in that area and brought their style of pottery with them. Or perhaps a group from the Aegean who themselves were displaced by the Sea People ended up settling there as the Sea People had already devastated the area. I love history and would love to see what might come of it all. Again, thank you for sharing the information you have. ^_^

[@lobosolo2884]

I wonder if this is where Robert Jordan got his Sea People in his Wheel Of Time books.

[@nil_db]

Protected animals think they own the place: In India, cows; here in England, swans.

[@parikshitrao4208]

Well the swan is the queen's own creatures much more important then you peasants!!

[@parikshitrao4208]

@bryan diaz varela us peasants* that better now mate?

[@blitzkrieg2928]

@bryan diaz varela the telemarker worker can still go commit crimes and get a slap on the wrist while brits get arrested for not having a butter knife loicensce xd

[@MrBonners]

with cows it is religious, with swans it is ownership by the British crown across the commonwealth.

[@slwrabbits]

Swans not in England don't have any difficulty thinking they own the place ... given their aggression, I'm not very inclined to argue with them.

[@nok400]

Fun fact. Camilopardalis (gr: Καμιλοπάρδαλη) is the Greek word for giraffe. It means colorful camel.

[@LarsTonguesInAspix]

I am dissapointed that isn't the Scientific name of camels

[@Retrenorium]

Do you mean neck rhino

[@Tareltonlives]

@@LarsTonguesInAspix It's the species name

[@themanofmemes4911]

Holy crap that name is amazing! I was wondering what it meant! Thanks man c:

[@nok400]

@@Retrenorium No. I am 100% sure that i means colorful camel- Καμιλοπάρδαλη: Καμιλο- is a dirivative of Cammel (Καμήλα) and (παρδαλή) means collorful.

[@Mngalahad]

i dont eat basking sharks or owls; totally normal.

[@mollof7893]

I have eaten Baskin sharks a few times by accident. I was just gonna eat some potatos but oh shit, those potatos was apparently a baskin shark.

[@x3bruhmoment264]

@eat the rich with his mouth???

[@MrBonners]

shark meat looks and feels like white cheese, bland and boring taste.

[@leftblax7065]

Camelopardalis is indeed the greek word for giraffe (even to this day), literally meaning "camel-panther". The most propable explanation for the name is that when the ancient greeks first encountered the animal they thought that it was a hybrid between the two lmao

[@orangesrobotech5900]

Will you be doing a "NEW New Spinosaurus" video to talk about the recent tail discovery?

[@darrylwayne1292]

What tail discovery?

[@siyacer]

Spinosaurus had spines on it's tail which indicated it used it's tail to swim

[@mr.snaplles5964]

Darryl Wayne basically the tail has a fluke

[@KhanMann66]

It's a giant tadpole.

[@bradleylaycock3859]

FYI chicken is free game. no one cares about them.

[@Mngalahad]

its the neutral route of eating meat.

[@williamnorris6184]

Pepehands

[@isupportthecurrentthing.1514]

The most abused animal on earth . They suffer horribly and all its worth to us is a few moments of taste pleasure .

[@Ed_man_talking9]

@@isupportthecurrentthing.1514 some damn good pleasure too. and the eggs? just as good, and chickens make them naturally.

[@Ed_man_talking9]

my favorite part is their livers though. nice and chalky. been eyeing a chicken heart at a grocery store though.

[@MOSQUITOFLAKES]

Mr Beat crossing over with Trey is something I never knew I really really needed. :)

[@nooberus9241]

Thank you for not having a completely pointless intro every video. Straight to the topic, very nice!

[@dstinnettmusic]

Top 10 anime crossovers: Trey the Explainer and Mr Beat

[@midnight_blaze6540]

ah yes, Mr Beat. love both of their content.

[@DarwinskiYT]

Me Beat should Colab with mr beat

[@olf4313]

I found Your Channel like a week Ago and just finished Your Video on the biology of Avatar and then saw you uploaded a new one. Love your Channel!

[@som3346]

Bro when u upload u always make my day and I become just a lil bit smarter

[@CalvesFanatic]

Great video, as always! Interesting to learn about this.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

The only animals I find taboo to eat are endangered species. Like sharks, elephants, and bush meat.

[@lucasart328]

I ate shark fin soup was very nice

[@lam7499]

@@lucasart328 I had it back when I was a kid (traditional Chinese family). From what I recall it was pretty good, very soft and velvety. I don't know if I'd eat it now, but I'm glad I tried it.

[@krab4250]

The Poke'saurus same here

[@mellowcorpsep6665]

@David eating monkeys is bad for different reasons

[@lucasart328]

@xXx_LukizZza_xXx Yeah man feels good.

[@deanyona6246]

Hey Trey, great video! I wanted to elaborate on the Jewish reasoning for Kashrut. The Torah give guidelines regarding what foods are kosher or not. The rules are as follow: Birds of prey are not kosher, but all other birds are. Fish (all sea creatures) must have both fins and scales to be kosher. Large mammals must chew their cud and have split hooves in order to be kosher. Animals that don't fulfill those requirements are unkosher. I once asked a Rabbi what the reasoning behind the rules for Kashrut and his answer was something like this: Jews don't want to consume the predator, they want to consume the prey, because the prey was created as food for the predator. Therefore, predatory animals are unkosher. That explains the rules for birds and he said that fish with fins and scales are typically prey for larger sea predators. When it comes to the mammal rule, the split hooves and cud rule out all predators, but they also leave out many animals that people around the world today eat. The split hooves mean that the animal is built for standing, rather than running, and them chewing their cud means they stay in the same spot and feed and take their time. This, according to the Rabbi, similarizes the animals to plants.

[@cryptozoologistinvestigato6964]

Great to see you again Trey Also cool new channel icon!

[@haroonabassi1821]

Trey I want you to know that you're really good at making videos. You really do have a gift. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why but your videos are really hard to take my eyes off of. I feel like you've mathematically perfected the slideshow video format. Forgive me if this sounds hyperbolic.

[@Go0dTimes4fUnPro]

I'm Hindu and vegetarian. Personally meat is repulsive to me. However, I got a buddy who says that it doesn't matter the animal as long as it's prepared properly he'll eat it.

[@xavier9146]

Would your friend eat human? since humans are animals lol

[@wraithdino1217]

@@xavier9146 Some people probably would eat human if they had an easy way to get ahold of it

[@xavier9146]

@@wraithdino1217 Not going to lie, I have always had a morbid curiosity of what grilled or smoked human flesh tastes like lol.

[@ksoundkaiju9256]

Kanna's Thighs I recommend you eat beans and nuts to get proteins in your diet

[@jgr7487]

I like your friend

[@liekeze6318]

A Trey the Explainer minisode!? "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

[@Skystarry75]

I have questioned it many times... Of course, I've come up with 2 answers. 1. Eating the animal had a high chance of making you sick i.e. Trichinosis/Shellfish Poisoning 2. The animal was of more use alive i.e. used to plow fields/travel long distances quickly/get rid of pests/make hunting a lot easier. There is a 3rd reason... We humanize them and view them as companions. This is probably why we feel weird about eating hamsters, guinea pigs and the like, even if there's no real reason to. They're our cute little buddies who we love and care for.

[@sampatton146]

Guinea pigs were eaten by the Incas and still eaten in part of South America if I am not mistaken

[@phollege7716]

More content like this man!!! This is amazing, love learning from you ❤

[@tamereenshort4866]

Im binge watching your videos, they are very interesting. Thx for doing what you do and keep going. !

[@hiddenhist]

Heyo, I noticed you used the word ‘clan’ in place of tribe when speaking of africa - i assume you meant to avoid the negative connotations of ‘tribe’. I agree, but would recommend ‘cultures’ instead for this context, since ‘clans’ often refer to a specific type of people group that may not apply to all african groupings. Many thanks for the good content and for being sensitive to the issue, though.

[@-D-Weeb]

If I'm dying of hunger (straight up need to eat to survive) and I can't find what's commonly eaten (pork, beef, chicken, fruits, vegetables, etc.) literally everything is fair game. Although, in the same situation, if I can help it I would prefer to eat my own growns foods before any animal.

[@boygenius538_8]

Most religions allow this. In Islam you can eat pork to avoid starvation.

[@Sturgeon-jv2nf]

I found mr.beat last week and I love his and your channel Greatness Unites

[@bluberryjam17]

I just want to let you I enjoy your channel. I learn a lot and you are truly a great explainer. I really like it when you sing at the end: it’s comforting and melancholic at the same time.

[@KatariaGujjar]

In South Asia, there's an age old taboo restricting milk consumption after eating fish. Some say it causes hyperpigmentation. I asked family and they said it's a specific type of fish found in the Indus River, eating it with milk causes skin problems. I've had McDonald's milkshakes countless times with the Filet-o fish without problems. Some years ago, I learned from a Jewish friend that they aren't allowed to drink milk after eating meat. But he didn't explain why. Seemed similar to our south asian taboo though there has never been a real overlap between S.Asia and Levant, neither culturally/demographically nor geopolitically/religiously. It seems there are ancient overlaps in taboos in distant places among unrelated peoples.

[@thoruszwolf4153]

Neat video... i'll be honest, I saw you had a new video and I thought it was going to be about the New Spino Swimming Tail

[@PurpleRhymesWithOrange]

I had always assumed the kosher laws against eating pork were a health issue because they noticed people got sick more often from eating pork than other meats.

[@YukihyoShiraki]

'Why?' Is a question so commonly asked that sometimes we forget to ask, especially when something has been around so long that it becomes 'just the way it is'.

[@carlavlund5841]

My archaeology-studying sister once told me about one proposed theory to explain the lack of pork-eating in some Middle-Eastern cultures: We know that there are many religious traits shared by those whom we call the Indo-Europeans and the ancient Isrealites, as comfirmed by similar themes in mythology (I believe you made a video about this, no?). We also know from archaeological records that the pig was praised as a symbol of fertility and child-bearing by the Indo-Europeans. The theory I'm talking about suggests that anciet, ancient, pre-Israelites had similar beliefs as the Indo-Europeans, but whereas the Indo-Europeans ate it *because* it was a symbol of fertility, the pre-Israelites abstained from eating it *for the very same reason.* In other words, two different practices sprang from the same concept. The theory then suggests that the idea of the pig being unclean is a result of gradual reinterpretation of the taboo by pre-Israelites. As we know from many cultures, the original reasoning behind cultural practices is often obscured by time.

[@jacobscrackers98]

| As we know from many cultures, the original reasoning behind cultural practices is often obscured by time. Such as what?

[@Revanbzn]

They always forget to explain why, I think that is the problem

[@hiitsme4901]

In Islam, pork is forbidden... myislam.org/why-is-pork-haram/ here is what modern technology has to say: www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-pork-bad Although we don't really need any reason or evidence to convince us Muslims to follow the teachings of Islam, we hope that this would at least convince others.😊

[@scorpion8ball]

0:13 TREY confirmed to have PATRICIAN TASTE

[@calvincalvo3285]

I love your videos! Very informative.

[@user-nb7ts1qv5j]

Thanks Trey, very cool!

[@Phos108]

He was serious about in his tweet

[@HighDeafRadio]

What was his tweet?

[@Phos108]

@@HighDeafRadio that he had video ready to be dropped

[@supera2960]

00:23 Hello trey love your vids im from somalia i and everyone i know havent ever heard about the fish thing could u please tell me where you got that from

[@SunflowerSocialist]

Love Mr Beat since I’m a history nerd and from Kansas Love Trey because I thought his debunking of cryptids was phenomenal Seeing them do a colab, well, JACKPOT!

[@ginabrogan1825]

watching other dinosaur channels makes me really appreciate trey’s videos so much more. please make more

[@chad_bro_chill]

I disagree that the average American wouldn't eat horsemeat, if only just to try it. Like rabbits, horses are in the grey area where you wouldn't immediately think of them as food but also don't put them on the same level as cats or dogs. I'd be interested in seeing a survey done, and how the numbers differ between rural and urban, males and females, etc.

[@big-boy9716]

Just do a blind test

[@spartangaming2336]

own a horse then try to make this statement again

[@Aconitum_napellus]

I'm not American, I'm English and I'd definitely try horse meat. I'm actively curious about rabbit but it's difficult to get a hold of these days. Tbh, I'd probably eat cat and dog just to say I'd done it.

[@lfdoidao]

I've had rabbit, tastes like chicken

[@chad_bro_chill]

@@spartangaming2336 Well sure, but the average American doesn't own a horse, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Two of my friends do keep horses, should be a good conversation starter, eh?).

[@Lily-wl2pu]

An example could be that the Old Testament states it's forbidden to eat crustaceans and seafood in general, and as far as I know such food may cause a lot of issues if not treated and cooked properly. In general I was told that such taboos may have to do with issues about the impossibility to preserve and cook some foods properly, in the past.

[@hellberV]

Hey man, love your videos. Don't have much to say, just know that watching you're videos made me study more for my finals, just for the reminder that education doesn't need to be boring.

[@blueflameblast]

Two of my favorite channels doing a collaboration? Heck yeah

[@Trathaal]

Tab- me: huh. Taboo- me: *scared*

[@xX_wiLLiam_Xx]

What

[@emmtea108]

This is such a stupid joke, I love it

[@That-Google-Guy]

That was WAY too short, dude! And you didn’t even sing for us!!! I call B.S.! Lol nah great vid as always, and love the recommendation! My newest subbed YT artist.

[@znightowlz6585]

You never disappoint with content, Trey

[@nicolaslara2041]

Nice to see you’re on a hot streak with videos lately.

[@flioink]

The question is, were Basking Sharks ever taboo to eat? Seriously tho, very likely there were outbreaks involving said animals in the distant past. Every species mentioned has a nasty parasite or a zoonotic disease that can wreak havoc.

[@yeetcoeschann4941]

In my old(pretty reformed) private Jewish School, I learned the specific guidelines to define what is kosher or not. I thought it was weird that he didn't mention them in the video, which got me thinking some people might think that what is kosher and what isnt is just a list of a ton of animals when it's actually a set of rules defining what makes an animal kosher or not. I'll say them here: -All mammals can only be eaten if they have split hoofs and chew their cud. -Fish must have fins and scales, and not bottom feeders. -Birds must have a crop, an extra finger, and a gizzard that can be peeled, and no birds of prey. I believe If it doesn't follow the rules or fall into the categories above, it is not kosher. If anyone finds any mistakes in what I'm saying then feel free to correct me, as my goal is only to educate.

[@thanoscube8573]

Yes, I went to orthodox schools and they teach the same thing

[@koolnomi95]

And I expected the next Trey video to be about New New Spinosaurus. Still, the anthropology videos are always interesting and always a pleasure to watch.

[@magnuspedersen4211]

Great vid, and great to see you uploading more often, keep up the good work. You could do a video on the new discoveries of the spinosaurus, and how it was likely mostly auqatic, if you think thats a topic og good supstance, i think people would like it.

[@interstellarlimits.]

Trey your back even though you posted a video last week wich I forgot to watch I'm so sad

[@thylacocoalthy6228]

With an Australian aboriginal, I have heard it briefly mentioned that they're not able to eat their totem animal, so a sort of personal taboo. I'm unsure just how widespread that is, but it does seem like something that might make sense for animal totems generally. (It briefly came up on an episode of "Bushwhacked!" when they hunted down some Goanna)

[@epicninjali3640]

Crazy crossover. I went from my APUSH studying with Mr Beat to see the new Trey video out of curiosity and entertainment. IG he Beat me to your new video.

[@jedmunro6524]

Cool as hell once again dude

[@twistedhumor4172]

My undergrad degree is in anthropology. I haven't used the degree as I'm a dentist, but it was interesting. There are all kinds of taboos in every society around food, sex, who is considered a relative etc. Some concerning who relatives are and if you can have sex with them are quit different from ours. One of the funniest stories I heard was a professor in some country in Africa was cooking eggs for breakfast, and a local person saw it and threw up at the sight. Anyway, that's my two cents.

[@Lufio]

Me: Trey's next video is probably about the new look of spinosaurus The next video: Why some animals are considered taboo to eat

[@KhanMann66]

Yeah, let him do his own thing. ...By the way, where's the Megalania video he promised? It been 2 years.

[@emilbecker8970]

Great video your videos reawoke my passion for biology and paleontology just wanted to thank you for that

[@andrewbarlow5236]

Hey Trey! You should make a video on the biology of pokemon! Love your content and think it would be fitting :)

[@Carols989]

we can have a little TREY video, as a treat

[@Zeliek]

1:51 Camelopardali is giraffe in greek so you are right on that. Also why so little substance in this video?

[@allenjones1947]

I cannot wait to see your video on the new spinosaurus findings

[@NorthBankChannel]

Nice vide trey!

[@davidmcwilliams717]

Yo trey u should do an up to date video on spinosaurus BRING BACK PALEOPEOFILE!!!

[@adamgrogory]

As someone who tries to eat as much according to kosher as it is possible to do, this video is very cool and much appreciated :)

[@Fiscacondaniel]

Do you have religious or health reasons why you follow that diet (won't judge, just interested)

[@luispereira9724]

I've been eating kosher for the past 2 years, and i never felt this good about my eating habits. How is your experience so far?

[@adamgrogory]

@@Fiscacondaniel Religious

[@5siccors5]

I worked with a bunch of Pacific Islanders at a Japanese restaurant who would not eat or even touch a dead eel. They came from the Eel Tribe and it was forbidden to eat what your clan was! Not super in-depth but interesting nonetheless.

[@nilshendrikeckert8761]

love the topic of this vid

[@campbellallan7157]

I thought it was weird that trey and mr beat both made videos about eating animals.

[@minirampchronicles]

I think it would be sick if you did some videos on australian megafauna and geography, but more specifically the cultures of indigenous australian nations and there dream time stories, some of which have been corroborated as being accurate verbal histories spanning thousands of years... or at least as far as I under stand, please explain Trey. Only just discovered this channel and after seeing the quality of the content i quickly scoured through to see if i could find anything on the religious and cultural practices of aboriginal australians with no results :( If you are unfamiliar with some of the work I highly recommend a recent book by Bruce Pascoe called Dark Emu, an indigenous man exploring the bush poets, the european explorers (considered primary sources in all matter of colonial australian history regarding white progress on a frontier society) that described a mix of agricultural and civic progress existing before the larger European presence and settlement, such as terraced hills where yams were grown. Regardless I have now found my favourite content creator, thanks trey :)

[@anandad4965]

Thanks for making this video. Lot's of love and support from India🇮🇳😍

[@nhall129]

Ok super not related to the video, but more your channel. Love your content as i just found it. After seeing all you're videos on paleontology and i figured I'd throw a series your way as they tend to focus heavily on scientifically accurate depictions of monsters. Specifically the monster hunter series. With Monster Hunter World's Anjanath making for a good depiction of a t-rex like monster with feathers as well as a good example of an species in the evolutionary process of losing wings. I'll probs tweet something about this at you too. Keep up the great content.

[@David-py7os]

Oh hey! I just noticed your new pfp! Looking good!

[@Ellolo17]

When I was a kid I though that the pig thing is that the climate there is too hot. I remember in Spain my grandparents would kill a pig to eat at beginning of November, in a cold and dry morning. If its not cold, the flesh could get bad. And so I though that jews and muslims dont eat that because in such a desertic places it would be. But yeah, later I found out that the nights in those areas are cold, its only the day that is hot, and other cultures there had no problems eating pigs. So false assumption.

[@ceasefire2825]

well in Islam atleast we regard pig as a filthy creature due to its diet and habits as explained in the video.

[@thedarksword3495]

Your argument still holds truth. no one would kill a pig at night as it was dark and cold and also meat is kept around for a day or two.

[@CourtneyCoulson]

I'm glad you tackled this topic, my Muslim friend and I (raised Catholic) were wondering why some cultures prohibit eating certain animals, especially back in a time when food was not as abundant as it is now. Even in the case of Lent, going without meat for a month is pretty drastic. I guess it's another example of humans being too smart for their own good and overthinking things.

[@antiquityantics6319]

You have inspired me to get make videos of prehistoric animals and life. I hope that I can help to get more people into paleontology so we can learn more things about life before ours. Thank you Trey the Explainer