I can see how less death per kg of meat and more people being fed is a good thing, but I’m not entirely sure that the modern variety has a better quality of life.
It’s easier for me to eat legumes instead of chicken and not worry about the quality of life of the chicken I’m not eating. Depending on local resources, culture, diet, customs, etc. this isn’t possible for everyone, though.
zefrank1 made a great video about stinkhorns which is both informative and hilarious. Some of the jokes are a bit more edgy though, but you can handle it, I highly recommend a watch. Here’s the link:
Mule Ducks have it pretty bad too. They are the hybrid offspring of domestic Mallards and Muscovies. They are bred for Foie Gras, a French delicacy. To make it, tubes are stuffed down the Mule Duck’s throat so that its liver grows incredibly large. They are then slaughtered after four weeks. It’s inhumane and I don’t support it.
Thank you, long legged things are horrifying, particularly the crane flies. I caught a crane fly very gently in my hand as a child and it left behind multiple legs. Absolutely nope. More recently, we had a population boom of crane flies for a couple week. One landed in my water glass and I didn’t realize until it was in my mouth. Horrors upon horrors.
Animal husbandry practices vary depending on the calibre of the end product desired. The poor factory farm chickens we get our eggs and affordable meat from is basically a living hell from the start to finish.
The converse is properly pasture raised chickens, fed by a proper diet of wild insects in addition to rations, allowed plenty of space for movement and comfort, as a former culinary professional I can tell you the differences in the quality of the end product are staggering.
that said I know of a few “farm to table” farmers that treat their animals very poorly and still sell a certified organic product, fetching an extremely high price, while making the consumer feel less guilt or worse, like they’re doing something good by patronizing these establishments.
In the retrospect the cows, pigs and chickens did not choose to be here, thus don’t need to be blamed, I would just be happier if I had the isolation from where these creatures are raised and slaughtered.
That said Chacma Baboons terrify, infuriate and disgust me.
yep. the most famous blobfish image is basically an exploded corpse, with all its skin ripped off. I can’t imagine anyone would look too pretty if you threw them into the vacuum of space.
insect pupae. I don’t know how to describe it or why. it’s almost like body horror, trapped motionless inside your own skin. even worse if the pupa has visible eyes.
I know the feeling.
I think it has to do with exoskeletons and mollusc shells.
It is one thing for a vertebrate’s spine to break apart, but something else entirely for an animal to break open.
Yeah… all those kid’s shows about caterpillars going into cocoons – and then you raise a butterfly caterpillar. You see the chrysalis come out of the caterpillar.
at least they’re usually invasive African Giant Snails here, but I still hate when we’re moving vehicles or something at night and you find one under your boots or they get stuck behind a gate or something. I’ve been in places in both the US and S.A. where the numbers of snails are so high it’s nearly impossible to walk in the grass at night without stepping on dozens of them.
I detest them, but I’ll leave it to Hook-billed Kites and Snail Kites to do the pest control in that part of the world.
it certainly does get old being awoken daily by the sound of huge snails and other mollusks being dropped by hawks, kites and vultures onto the metal roof at 0430AM followed by the sounds of their talons scratching and stomping across the roof.
I’m a big fan of frogs and toads, I absolutely love them, but what gives me the heeby jeebies is the Suriname toad when they have eggs on their backs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgROaJY6Xnk)
Maybe it’s just because I have a mild case of Trypophobia.
Just found this topic and some super interesting discussion here.
I try to appreciate all forms of life, and I think there’s some good points here about trying to avoid the “ew this animal is cringe because it’s ugly” or “spider? burn the house down!!” sort of unproductive stuff.
I used to be much more afraid of insects and spiders, and I feel like my time on iNat, and just learning about organisms in general, has made me less fearful. This year I saw a wild parasitoid wasp and instead of being revulsed, I was excited! Something about trying to observe all kinds of life makes it feel more equal: an observation is an observation, no matter what. (I still wouldn’t touch a tarantula or huge moth, but I’d happily take a picture).
That being said, there’s sometimes a deep psychological revulsion that you can’t shake. I try to have the mindset of “all organisms are important!” but cockroaches… I’ve had nightmares about them crawling on me, and wake up breathless. I stayed in the Bahamas and the “palmetto bugs” involuntarily made me squeal and jump.
A much more interesting question to me is the reverse: what is one creature that you love that most people hate? I like being around snakes, I absolutely would love swimming with sharks, and I think deep-sea fishes are breathtakingly beautiful and fascinating. (on the topic of deep-sea fishes, I hate the inevitable comments online like “ugh, I guess I’m never going in the ocean again!”) I also love lampreys, which even some people who like fish seem to find repulsive. Incredibly primal and ancient; fascinating life cycle; really cool jawless mouth filled with awesome teeth. What’s not to love?
I wish more people would learn to love sharks and lampreys; I’m sure there’s an entomologist out there who feels the same way about my aversion to roaches.
Arachnids! I can stand next the biggest Golden Silk spider all day long are watch the cutes little jumping spider there is and I’m fine. But if it gets on me or I run into a web unexpectedly I instantly become a kung fu master for about 5 seconds. I wouldn’t say its a phobia I just don’t want them on me.
I am getting better with the jumping spiders now that I taking more pictures and I’ve had a few get on me. I still don’t like but I can calm myself and get them off as quick as possible without hurting myself or the spider.
I have a tendency to love the unloved taxa. Snakes and wasps are some of my favorites. That being said, there are things that creep me out, though I appreciate their roles in their native ecosystems.
I was very squeamish when I found this Eastern Bark Centipede in my field housing. The photo really does not do justice how large it was. Because it is a native species, I transported it outside where it belongs, but I had shivers running down my spine.
On a related note, I started this Underappreciated Taxa book list on Goodreads. This is a list for all books (fiction or nonfiction) that display typically unloved and underappreciated taxa in a positive light.
