thatmanmatt, 19 days ago

@taber related: hyraxes are related to elephants, manatees and dugongs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrax

taber, 19 days ago

@thatmanmatt Absolutely one of the critters with the biggest divergence between what I think I would draw if you said “hyrax” and I’d never seen one vs what it is

thatmanmatt, 19 days ago

@taber yup. More fun facts:

• the hyrax is physically incapable of regurgitation

• male hyraxes lack a scrotum

• the largest known extinct hyrax, Titanohyrax ultimus has been estimated to weigh 600–1,300 kilograms (1,300–2,900 lb), comparable to a rhinoceros.

• in Leviticus they are described as lacking a split hoof and therefore not being kosher.

taber, 19 days ago

@thatmanmatt the kashrut debate over hyrax is well-known because the sages believed they chewed their cud but it turned out that’s not the case, rendering the hooves a moot point

taber, 19 days ago

do not need to read the linked article. simply suggest it's best you don't try it

hannah, 19 days ago

@taber dolphins are hippos who stayed in the watee too long

taber, 19 days ago

@hannah waiting for an awkward pause in the conversation around the dinner table and blurting out “dolphins are reverse hippos, your world is a lie”