Avocados contain a fungicidal toxin called persin, which is completely harmless to humans but highly poisonous to almost every other animal, including dogs, cats, horses, and birds.

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Avocados contain a fungicidal toxin called persin, which is completely harmless to humans but highly poisonous to almost every other animal, including dogs, cats, horses, and birds. This chemical compound causes severe respiratory distress and heart failure in most domestic pets, making the trendy superfood a literal biological weapon in the animal kingdom. Humans are one of the few species with a digestive system capable of processing persin without instantly shutting down. It is quite funny that our generation’s symbol of financial ruin and brunch culture is actually a highly toxic death fruit that nature designed to be completely inedible. We somehow took a plant that aggressively defends itself with lethal toxins and decided to mash it onto toasted sourdough bread for fourteen dollars a plate. Clearly, humanity’s greatest evolutionary advantage is our iron-clad stomach and our stubborn refusal to let a little poison get in the way of a highly aesthetic breakfast