# Are humans the only animals repelled by smell of rotting flesh?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749 "2007-06-04T20:25:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749/1 "2007-06-04T20:25:59Z")

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Subject says it all.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749/2 "2007-06-04T22:13:47Z")

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No, why would you think so? Many carnivores will only eat fresh meat. I don’t believe many herbivores would hang around a decaying carcass.

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**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749/3 "2007-06-04T23:44:30Z")

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[QUOTE=Telemark]  
No, why would you think so? Many carnivores will only eat fresh meat. I don’t believe many herbivores would hang around a decaying carcass.  
[/QUOTE]

There is a difference between not eating it and reflexively gagging at the smell of it.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749/4 "2007-06-05T02:27:39Z")

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You never met any of my cats. Any canned food left out more than a few hours, and I’ve gotta watch my step.

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animals-repelled-by-smell-of-rotting-flesh/406749/5 "2007-06-06T04:03:54Z")

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Even not all humans are. A few years ago I saw a PBS special about some South American tribe where the men would go out for a month long hunt (mostly monkeys) and not preserve the meat the whole time. When they got back the whole village celebrated, while the camera crew barfed.

Although they did cook the meat when they got back, it was still bloated & rotten from being carried thru the steaming hot jungle for weeks. As Rachel Ray would say, Yummo!