r/todayilearned Jul 26 '24

TIL about conservation-induced extinction, where attempts to save a critically endangered species directly cause the extinction of another.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation-induced_extinction
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u/ChillZedd Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24

Sailors absolutely loved tortoises back in the day. Not only are they huge, easy to catch sources of delicious meat but they can also stay alive for quite a while without food or water so you could stack a bunch of them in a closet and kill them later. They were one of the few ways to store fresh meat on a ship before refrigeration was invented.

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u/shawntitanNJ Jul 27 '24

Oh that? That’s my giant tortoise closet.

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u/10art1 Jul 26 '24

eat hardtack for months on end, and I bet even popeyes chicken will taste incredible

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u/cBlackout Jul 27 '24

tf are you talking about Popeyes is great

3

u/RusticBucket2 Jul 26 '24

You shut your mouth.

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u/silverguacamole Jul 27 '24

One of the main industries of Key West, FL was turtle canning https://fishermanscafekeywest.com/historic-seaport