What is your favorite animal?

[VincentTakeda]

Best pet? Samoyed Husky
Best eatin? Elk
Best non pet non eatin? Siberian Tiger though with a proper supply of elk, pet siberian tiger would probably work out well.

[Xyril]

Peacocks are able to eat snakes and poison things without having any problems, nobody is sure how they do it but it's awesome.

Do you have a citation for this? I am familiar with the idea of peacock immunity to poison from the Hindu tradition, but I don't know if the rest of what you say is true.

First, with respect to snakes, there are venomous snakes (they bite you, you die) but no poisonous snakes (you eat them, you die) that I can think of. Eating a venomous snake is no big deal--even humans can do it. Snake venoms are complex organic compounds that cause damage when they enter the bloodstream; however, they are pretty easily broken down into a more harmless form during digestion, long before they reach your bloodstream.

With respect to the plants, many animals can eat things that are poisonous to humans.

[hamishspence]

I think, since the venom is in the fangs, and the fangs are in the head, which is mostly bone - the head would generally be discarded before cooking anyway.

That said - I recall reading that people have drunk raw snake venom as a stunt to prove that it's safe - with the main hazard being the possibility of cuts or sores in the mouth letting the venom in.

[Potato_Priest]

I think that the most interesting animal in the world is the human, so I'd have to say that they are my favorite.

I am also very interested in large, aggressive herbivores as a group. I love the way that they exploit the narrowing of the food chain to intimidate predators into backing off (a predator needs to eat many, many herbivores over their lifetime, and even a small injury received at the hands of an aggressive herbivore can be the gateway to later failure and starvation). The way that they staunchly defend their families also triggers in me a certain empathy. Musk oxen and elephants are particularly awesome for their good defensive tactics.

[Giggling Ghast]

Don't really have a favourite, but my most hated animal is apes. Chimps, gorillas, orangutans, baboons - I dislike them all.

It's mostly because I don't like the Planet of the Apes movies. I hate how Hollywood keeps shoving its pro-ape supremacy agenda down my throat. I'll be damned if I'll bow down to a bunch of poop-throwing monkeys!

[Karmea]

I like most animals but my favourite is probably horse. Grew up around them and riding is awesome.

First, with respect to snakes, there are venomous snakes (they bite you, you die) but no poisonous snakes (you eat them, you die) that I can think of

A couple of keelback snakes are both venomous and poisonous.

[hamishspence]

First, with respect to snakes, there are venomous snakes (they bite you, you die) but no poisonous snakes (you eat them, you die) that I can think of.

A couple of keelback snakes are both venomous and poisonous.

The tiger keelback or Japanese grass snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus) certainly, and probably several other other members of its genus Rhabdophis.


The common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) has also been referenced as sequestering poison from the frogs it preys on - becoming somewhat poisonous to predators - though maybe not to quite the extent the keelbacks do.

It may be more "horrible tummyache and other symptoms" than "die" though - and cooking might reduce the issue.

[Delicious Taffy]

And now I am hungry. Chickens are tasty too!

I also crave meat. Some nice, buttery crab would hit the spot, right about now.

[Honest Tiefling]

Best pet? Samoyed Husky

Do you mean samoyeds AND huskies, or a part samoyed/husky dog?

[2D8HP]

Best pet? Samoyed Husky

Do you mean samoyeds AND huskies, or a part samoyed/husky dog?

How about Malamutes and mal-u-mutts?

[hamishspence]

Do you mean samoyeds AND huskies, or a part samoyed/husky dog?

They may be applying "husky" as a generic term for everything descended from the original Sled Dog - which was part of the "spitz" group:

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

[Honest Tiefling]

They may be applying "husky" as a generic term for everything descended from the original Sled Dog - which was part of the "spitz" group:

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

Given the tendency for crossbreeding random breeds (Such as corgis and dalmatians), I'm just not sure. Also never heard husky used in that sense.

[hamishspence]

Also never heard husky used in that sense.

Here:

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

it suggests that the generic husky is a fast sled dog, but otherwise, a mutt.

Alaskan Huskies are basically generic mutt huskies - but specifically in Alaska.

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



There's one pedigree breed also called a husky - the Siberian husky:

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

[navas]

My favourite is cheetah.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Jackdaws. No wait, maybe sun bears. Or southern elephant seals. Or deinonychus. No, fasolasuchus, definitely. Or spiders, maybe even jumping spiders, or camels, bitterns? Or... Ahhh there are too many cool animals!

Just put me down for jackdaws. They're awesome, and they show a lot of "nature documentary" behavior. The thing where two birds (on tv generally large raptors) lock claws and tumble down until one chickens out and lets go? I saw jackdaws do that, off the top of a three story building (yes, that's a pretty short drop). The thing where birds (like vultures) eat a carcass from the inside out because the skin is too much trouble? I saw jackdaws do that to a pear. The thing were birds in experiments (ravens) pull up food that's bungling down on a string? Seen them do that too. Tied a second string to the food so it hang in a bow and turned it into a balance challenge.

I've also seen a pigeon grieving over what looked like a lost partner. That, or he was still trying to hit on her. You can never tell with pigeons whether they're being really smart or really dumb. He'd trample on the corpse like he was trying to say "wake up, wake up!" like they do in movies, then wander around a bit on foot, then come straight back for move waking up. Very touching.

Still not as cool as jackdaws though.

And yes, I could totally understand if the Americans in the audience just saw them as an invasive pest. What's the damage so far?

[PhantomFox]

To no one's surprise, foxes. Pretty much what you'd get if you could cross a cat and a dog. Very pretty, very smart. Kinda shy, so I don't see them often around where I live. Also, they have a sport around hunting/chasing them around and they WIN half the time.

[leoryff]

Bats. Hands down bats. Bats are awesome. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are wrong.

[2D8HP]

To no one's surprise, foxes. Pretty much what you'd get if you could cross a cat and a dog. Very pretty, very smart. Kinda shy, so I don't see them often around where I live. Also, they have a sport around hunting/chasing them around and they WIN half the time.

I've seen a wild fox once, in the hills of Palo Alto not far from the veterans hospital in 2001.

I was part of the crew building some damn tech companies buildings.

It was small but regal.

[Potato_Priest]

To no one's surprise, foxes. Pretty much what you'd get if you could cross a cat and a dog. Very pretty, very smart. Kinda shy, so I don't see them often around where I live. Also, they have a sport around hunting/chasing them around and they WIN half the time.

I don't like to brag, but I see foxes pretty often where I live. This was a big arctic hare year, so there are a lot of foxes out now too. I remember once when I was playing on the lawn as a kid and looked up to see a grey fox just watching me from about 20 feet away.

I imagine you're familiar with the Russian experiments on domesticating foxes? If you aren't, google it, it's super cool.

I'm surprised so many people are saying tigers. I can't say I'm a big fan of one of the few animals that actively hunts my species, even if they don't do it very often.

[Lemmy]

Pistol Shrimp! It's so f***ing badass!

Hunting pretty by "punching" them with a snapping effect so powerful it reaches temperatures close to that of the surface of the Sun?

AWESOME!

[D&DecentPeople]

Ok so this was another joke thread (visit my "toothbrush color" post in friendly banter) so I congratulate all who took the time to post on this their favorite animal. From, D&DecentPeople.

[Nat_Zero]

Bats. Hands down bats. Bats are awesome. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are wrong.

So much this! I love all kinds of bats, from flying foxes to honduran white bats. I think they are so cute and they are vital to the ecosystem. Plus, they're the only flying mammal so the get bonus cool points for that. They've been my favorite since I was very little and had a shelf with a bunch of various bat plushies hanging off of it (properly upside down like bats do).

Some other animals I enjoy that haven't been mentioned here are:
-monotremes (egg laying mammals) like the platypus and echidna, because they look neat and have fascinating reproductive biology.
-pangolins because they are adorable and their scales are really cool
-tardigrades because they're a micro-animal that can survive basically anything. Scientists have subjected them to extreme temperatures, starvation, high pressure, and even the vaccuum of space and they still live on!
-whiptail lizards because they are all female and reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis but they still require mating behaviors with each other to produce offspring.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

-tardigrades because they're a micro-animal that can survive basically anything. Scientists have subjected them to extreme temperatures, starvation, high pressure, and even the vaccuum of space and they still live on!

In that regard: don't forget nematodes, the only animals so far to survive a friggin space crash.

As said as it was for the families of the astronauts, that's just way cool.

(Granted: by the time they were found multiple generations had passed, it's unknown in what numbers, in which stages of life and in what shape the worms survived.)

[Goodkill]

cats for love (though only the more intelligent and social type)

crows for vanity (if i was an animal i might be a bird, and if i was a bird i'd be a crow)

cattle for tastiness (since tofu isn't an animal)

hard to pick for the awesomeness category since there are so many. many good picks on this thread so far. i'll go with the elephant since they're incredibly loving and intelligent and sensitive.

[VincentTakeda]

Do you mean samoyeds AND huskies, or a part samoyed/husky dog?

Samoyeds were always part of the husky group while I was growing up. As a generic term for sled dogs yes... So the samoyed, alaskan malamute, siberian being the three I remember. I particularly like samoyeds among the huskies, with malamutes a second favorite.

[VincentTakeda]

How about Malamutes and mal-u-mutts?

Malamutes were in fact my favorite husky before I owned my first samoyed.

Growing up I always wanted a malamute, considered a sled dog, so part of the husky group. My dad found a husky breeder but mistakenly didnt know there was more than one kind... Ended up at a samoyed breeder and asked them 'when does the black coloration come in?' lol.

He wasnt going to get one but didnt want to make the breeder feel bad, so he decided to check out the samoyed huskies anyway, and ended up bringing one home.

Between personal experience and learning more about the differences between the husky breeds over the last 3 decades, samoyed was indeed the best choice for me. We're not too fond of the malamute and siberian 'alpha dog' issues. The sammies are much more chill and gentle.

I do still love the malamute for its grand regal appearance, but in terms of whats good for me to own, samoyed temperment wins out over the other two husky breeds.

So happy accident...

[Wulfnor]

I've always had a affinity for Wolves, since I saw Disney original animated Jungle Book when I was a young boy. Here is a poem I have written about them. Enjoy!

WOLF WAYS

The cry of a wolf,
cuts the silence of the night.
A song so anciently familiar,
that Man instinctually seeks flight.

Those who seek to understand,
know that they are not cruel.
They kill only what they need.
Living by Mother Nature's rules.

The wolf pack is a family,
just like yours or mine.
Living together with unwritten laws,
each member knows when it's their turn to dine.

Wolves are loving and caring parents,
punishing and praising each pup their due.
For each one must learn their place,
if the pack is to survive each generation anew.

So when you hear a wolf's howl,
listen to it to the full.
Feel it's primeval beauty,
way deep down in your soul!

The End

[AuthorGirl]

Hey Wulfnor, I like the poem.

Real non-pet animals . . . eagles and hawks have always sort of made my soul sing. I feel uplifted just from catching a glimpse of one. Also, my liking for bees is pronounced enough that I'm considering buying myself a hive and some beekeeping tools.

Pet animals . . . dogs. Dogs dogs dogs dogs. And one dog in particular. There's something really great about an animal I can
a) feel deep love for
b) get fluffy cuddles from
c) trust to warn me of danger
d) talk to like the friend she is.

Fictional non-pet (or usually non-pet) animals . . . phoenixes. No question. They are flying flaming birds that cry healing tears, not to mention being symbols of renewal.

Fictional pet animals . . . meh. Really none that I can think of. I'd prefer a talking plant.

[gooddragon1]

cats, cats, and cats. In fact I have a cat on me right now. I also like falcons and bears and dragons (I have a pet dragon, was a bit hard to train it not to use its breath weapon all the time)

This, my friends, is a black-footed cat. Isn't it adorable?

Thirding cats. Intelligent so that you don't have to walk them if it's raining fire. Self cleaning. Catches mice if there are any and deters others. Also protects against 1st level commoners.

Speculation: You may note the fur arrangement on the cat in the quoted post above. It's particularly interesting because it means that it hasn't been petted enough. That's a serious problem.

Also:
I am one cat picture away from having 100 cat pictures on my phone. Just need to find the right one.

Also:
:3 nya

[javurek]

I love sphynx cats :D they look creepy. And also I adore dogs. But if dragons would be alive I would get a dragon