# Is any animal life TRULY inedible for humans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251 "2008-11-24T15:09:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/1 "2008-11-24T15:09:54Z")
There are lots of animals we don’t commonly eat, out of a sense of disgust (insects) or impracticality (hummingbirds) or because they don’t taste very good (carnivores?) but my understanding is that, due to common ancestry, pretty much muscle tissue is muscle tissue and liver is liver and so forth. And, okay, there are a few animals that use poison as a weapon and so you’d have to cut out and discard poison sacs and such. But are there any animals whose basic flesh is poisonous to humans? For this question let’s restrict animals to things kids would point at and call an animal: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, fish, crabs and their relatives. Basically, things that move around and are big enough to see easily with the naked eye. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/2 "2008-11-24T15:21:52Z")
Whle I’m not an avid viewer, I did catch a few minutes of Bear Grylls’ show the other day and he had one of those big fat equatorial millipedes, which he smelled and said had the scent of almonds, an indicator that it had a cyanide based toxin that it would squirt when threatened. He declined to eat it, in favor of a rather noxious looking grub. If _Bear Grylls_ is afraid to eat something, I’m going to call that truly inedible. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/3 "2008-11-24T15:27:29Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > But are there any animals whose basic flesh is poisonous to humans? Some animals eat poisonous plants, and the poison is retained throughout their bodies. It’s a common defence against predators. I would imagine that a human eating large quantities of such animals would become ill. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/4 "2008-11-24T15:30:13Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > liver is liver Not so. Seal, polar bear, and husky livers contain toxic concentrations of Vitamin A. [Hypervitaminosis A - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_A) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/5 "2008-11-24T15:31:22Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Not so. Seal, polar bear, and husky livers contain toxic concentrations of Vitamin A. [Hypervitaminosis A - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_A) But they are routinely eaten by the Inuit. They just make sure to apportion them into very small quantities. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Solomon\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@King\_Solomon\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Solomon_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/6 "2008-11-24T15:36:26Z")
There’s always the poisonous birds of [Papua New Guinea](http://birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/poisonous_birds). Would you count food that is edible for humans after being processed? Things like Fugu, the Japanese puffer fish, deadly poisonous if prepared incorrectly, but apparently at least moderately tasty and harmless if done correctly. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/7 "2008-11-24T15:44:29Z")
I imagine that the frog used for poison arrows is a tad unpleasant ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/8 "2008-11-24T15:47:25Z")
I’ve heard buzzard is inedible. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/9 "2008-11-24T15:49:35Z")
The giant squids are full of ammonia. The flesh is inedible. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/10 "2008-11-24T15:51:11Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > The giant squids are full of ammonia. The flesh is inedible. So are rays and skates, but people overcome that by soaking them in vinegar before cooking. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/11 "2008-11-24T15:55:54Z")
> [@King\_Solomon\_Hill](#): > > There’s always the poisonous birds of [Papua New Guinea](http://birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/poisonous_birds). > > Would you count food that is edible for humans after being processed? > Things like Fugu, the Japanese puffer fish, deadly poisonous if prepared incorrectly, but apparently at least moderately tasty and harmless if done correctly. Why would anyone go to so much effort and risk for something only “moderately tasty”? Do the people who enjoy this sort of food have different taste buds, or something? Is it just an acquired taste? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/12 "2008-11-24T15:59:31Z")
Carnivores being bad tasting / inedible is a huge myth. Fox meat is delicious, lynx meat (by the testimony of old-school hunters who, suspicious as hell, took part in eating what you kill back in the '70’s here when lynx kills were national news) is about the best meat one can imagine, bear meat commands a 100e / kg price at gourmet shops, and lion burger tastes just fine, according to Jared Diamond. Or just ask the Chinese pussy-munchers. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/13 "2008-11-24T16:08:50Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > I imagine that the frog used for poison arrows is a tad unpleasant According to the [Wiki entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_dart_frog#Toxicity_and_medicine), they secrete it onto their skin; no mention of whether it’s possible to harvest the flesh safely. Also, they create poison from prey that they eat so if you control their diet you can reduce the toxicity. > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Why would anyone go to so much effort and risk for something only “moderately tasty”? Do the people who enjoy this sort of food have different taste buds, or something? Is it just an acquired taste? I’ve never eaten it but I’ve read about it. I think it’s just the thought of the risk, more so than the taste pe se. ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/14 "2008-11-24T18:22:41Z")
How about starfish or any of those animals that live around those hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean? ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/15 "2008-11-24T18:25:55Z")
> [@kitemaker\_chuck](#): > > How about starfish or any of those animals that live around those hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean? That might be a good contender. They process hydrogen sulfide via bacteria in their cells. I’m not certain if that makes them toxic or not, but I’m betting yes on this one. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/16 "2008-11-24T19:20:21Z")
Is eating vultures safe? I would expect their flesh to be somewhat nasty! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/17 "2008-11-24T19:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Carnivores being bad tasting / inedible is a huge myth. Fox meat is delicious, lynx meat (by the testimony of old-school hunters who, suspicious as hell, took part in eating what you kill back in the '70’s here when lynx kills were national news) is about the best meat one can imagine, bear meat commands a 100e / kg price at gourmet shops, and lion burger tastes just fine, according to Jared Diamond. Or just ask the Chinese pussy-munchers. I can personally attest that bear meat is tasty: A friend of my grandfather’s once killed one in self-defense, and shared the meat. A bit on the greasy side, but good. The primary reason that humans don’t eat carnivores (much) isn’t flavor, but cost: It would take a lot of pounds of meat to raise each pound of meat. Why not just eat whatever you’re feeding the carnivore, yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/18 "2008-11-24T22:03:20Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Why would anyone go to so much effort and risk for something only “moderately tasty”? Do the people who enjoy this sort of food have different taste buds, or something? Is it just an acquired taste? According to the [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffer_fish) article (which admittedly indicates that the factual accuracy is disputed) “While chiri is much more likely to cause death, sashimi fugu often causes intoxication, light-headedness, and numbness of the lips, and is often eaten for this reason.” ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/19 "2008-11-24T23:50:23Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > According to the [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffer_fish) article (which admittedly indicates that the factual accuracy is disputed) “While chiri is much more likely to cause death, sashimi fugu often causes intoxication, light-headedness, and numbness of the lips, and is often eaten for this reason.” The host of Weird Foods (Or is it Bizarre Foods?) on the Food Network had some fugu on one episode. He said that he’d had it before and it always numbed the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251/20 "2008-11-24T23:53:49Z")
> [@King\_Solomon\_Hill](#): > > Things like Fugu, the Japanese puffer fish, deadly poisonous if prepared incorrectly, but apparently at least moderately tasty and harmless if done correctly. … and other things we learned watching _The Simpsons_. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-animal-life-truly-inedible-for-humans/474251.md?page=2)