Ian Gorlick
>An otter is an amphibious weasel. Weasels, like most carnivores, are
>foul tasting. Most aquatic predators have a strong fishy taste. So
>the otter probably tastes foul and fishy. I can't imagine eating
>one.
Feeling persnickity, thought I'd comment on this.
- Otters are, of course, not weasels at all, though they
belong to the same family. They're more like a sable (NOT the
antelope -- the carnivore) or a mink.
- I have no idea if a weasel is foul-tasting or not. I know
nobody who has eaten one, nor have I read an account of same. BUT ...
it is certain that carnivores are frequently NOT foul-tasting.
Examples include bear, shark, dog, alligator, octopus, giant water
bug, whale, etc. Bat meat is reputedly musty, but edible.
I rather suspect that the reputedly vile flavor of mustelids
is a product of their musk glands as much as anything else. The only
two mustelids I've heard condemned for their flavor are mink and
wolverine, both of which have heaps o' musk. On the other hand, skunk
was supposedly popular among some Indian tribes.
Sandy P.