Cast your vote for the best animal on earth
August 22, 2023 5:24 PM Subscribe
#metafilterfundraiser2023 What's the best animal on earth? Prove it!
After a lifelong obsession with them, I have to say cats. My glorious proof, check out her tongue. She knows how great she is ;)
After a lifelong obsession with them, I have to say cats. My glorious proof, check out her tongue. She knows how great she is ;)
porpoise
posted by porpoise at 5:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by porpoise at 5:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Red pandas.
posted by edencosmic at 5:41 PM on August 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by edencosmic at 5:41 PM on August 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
the dang blue whale
posted by kensington314 at 5:53 PM on August 22, 2023
posted by kensington314 at 5:53 PM on August 22, 2023
Crows! Fun to watch, fun to interact with, clever and inventive, make good noises, stylish and attractive. An all-around excellent bird.
posted by darchildre at 5:53 PM on August 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by darchildre at 5:53 PM on August 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
No one gets my vote without proof.
posted by baseballpajamas at 5:54 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by baseballpajamas at 5:54 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sea otters.
posted by Melismata at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
My dog Ozzy.
But otters come in a close 2nd.
posted by moonmilk at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
But otters come in a close 2nd.
posted by moonmilk at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
otterjinx, Melismata!
posted by moonmilk at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by moonmilk at 6:00 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's obviously the beetle. Per Wikipedia, we know about 400,000 different kinds, constituting a quarter of all known animal species, and there may be as many as a couple million. That's not individuals, that's species! One kind can weigh a quarter pound. Another one is best judged in microns and its length is about the same as the depth of two fairly thick sheets of paper. They're colorful and majestic; some iridesce, some glow. And anywhere that has plants, you'll find some.
posted by eirias at 6:09 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by eirias at 6:09 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Birbs. They sing, they can fricken fly! some can swim, some can talk, they are fast, acrobatic, colorful. They eat mosquitos and other bugs. Birbs!
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:12 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:12 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Red pandas are the cutest but dogs are something we can actually own.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:18 PM on August 22, 2023
posted by wenestvedt at 6:18 PM on August 22, 2023
Axolomeh are adorable and have a nifty irregular-to-english plural! (obvs it's normal for Nahuatl)
posted by aubilenon at 7:05 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 7:05 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Cats
Are
The
Best
Of
Course
!!
sorry for twitter links
posted by Baethan at 7:06 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Are
The
Best
Of
Course
!!
sorry for twitter links
posted by Baethan at 7:06 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
snow leopards :)
posted by rachaelfaith at 7:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by rachaelfaith at 7:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Beavers.
They can seriously fuck shit up.
posted by bondcliff at 7:35 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
They can seriously fuck shit up.
posted by bondcliff at 7:35 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
The echidna.
You get the best of both worlds in that it's a mammal but has skeletal characteristics like a reptile (giving it a cute rollilng walk), and it lays eggs. Also, they are long-lived and very cute and pettable (I miss you, Victor), and their offspring is called a puggle!
Second place: Kiwi
Similarly, a bird, but with mammalian characteristics. Not generally huggable, but Manaia at the National Zoo was lovely.
I'd never vote against cats, though.
posted by LadyOscar at 8:13 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
You get the best of both worlds in that it's a mammal but has skeletal characteristics like a reptile (giving it a cute rollilng walk), and it lays eggs. Also, they are long-lived and very cute and pettable (I miss you, Victor), and their offspring is called a puggle!
Second place: Kiwi
Similarly, a bird, but with mammalian characteristics. Not generally huggable, but Manaia at the National Zoo was lovely.
I'd never vote against cats, though.
posted by LadyOscar at 8:13 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Ravens. They play. They can count. They trade shiny objects. They tease pets. And they never go hungry.
posted by kerf at 8:31 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by kerf at 8:31 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Sorry cat stans... have you even seen a nudibranch'??
posted by latkes at 8:32 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by latkes at 8:32 PM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
So many great, cool animals.
Search out all the great posts of late by chariot pulled by cassowaries about awesome Australian critters being recovered. Quolls Dance Party!
But the answer is dogs.
Symbiosis between dogs and humans. You guard us from predators at night, we feed you during the day. Now it's more like, you love us and come get pets, and we feed and take care of you. But dogs helped us survive when humans were sleeping in the deserts in Africa so many thousands of years ago.
posted by Windopaene at 8:37 PM on August 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Search out all the great posts of late by chariot pulled by cassowaries about awesome Australian critters being recovered. Quolls Dance Party!
But the answer is dogs.
Symbiosis between dogs and humans. You guard us from predators at night, we feed you during the day. Now it's more like, you love us and come get pets, and we feed and take care of you. But dogs helped us survive when humans were sleeping in the deserts in Africa so many thousands of years ago.
posted by Windopaene at 8:37 PM on August 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Capybaras!!! They would fight you for the title but they are busy chilling and befriending all the other animals and being graceful under water and enjoying fruits.
posted by Mizu at 9:23 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 9:23 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Beavers. It's debatable whether one can see the Great Wall from space but you can see a beaver dam /pond. They build houses, live in communities, tolerate humans, and shape the landscape of their habitat controlling floods, creating rich habitat for hundreds of others species while essentially farming trees for food and building materials. Plus they are one of a few animal paratroopers.
posted by Mitheral at 9:24 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 9:24 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Moonmilk was close, but it's not just Ozzy. The answer is dogs, and I CANNOT believe that noone in this wonderful community has gotten the answer right yet.
They'll lay on the grass and watch clouds with you, they'll look for bombs, they'll find you under a pile of rubble or rest their heads on your lap after a rough day. They're clowns, they're friends, they're angels. The answer is Dogs. Dogs are the best anything.
posted by kate4914 at 9:38 PM on August 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
They'll lay on the grass and watch clouds with you, they'll look for bombs, they'll find you under a pile of rubble or rest their heads on your lap after a rough day. They're clowns, they're friends, they're angels. The answer is Dogs. Dogs are the best anything.
posted by kate4914 at 9:38 PM on August 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
Is this a joke? It's the Shetland Sheepdog, as everyone knows.
posted by HotToddy at 9:52 PM on August 22, 2023
posted by HotToddy at 9:52 PM on August 22, 2023
I'm sorry you guys but tapirs are the best animal and it's not close.
posted by potrzebie at 10:02 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 10:02 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
IT IS CATS (thanks latkes for the nudibranch love)
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:02 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:02 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
BIRBS BIRBS BIRBS
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:09 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:09 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Naked mole-rats. The TLDR version: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Naked Mole-rats.
posted by rjs at 10:41 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rjs at 10:41 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Some days I might say 'Anteaters, of course'. Most days, though, I say it's our dog Luna.
posted by dg at 11:12 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by dg at 11:12 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I must say I'm a little surprised so few people have realised this post is a shameless ploy to get people to post pictures of their pets. I guess over a decade of 'no chatfilter for you!' has people trained not to even think of suggesting such a thing.
posted by dg at 11:21 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by dg at 11:21 PM on August 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
It's quokkas.
I know it's quokkas.
You know it's quokkas.
Even quokkas know it's quokkas.
That's why they are so happy!
quokka quokka quokka oi oi oi
posted by Thella at 11:48 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
I know it's quokkas.
You know it's quokkas.
Even quokkas know it's quokkas.
That's why they are so happy!
quokka quokka quokka oi oi oi
posted by Thella at 11:48 PM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Aardvark first in class. In contrast to beetles [Class Coleoptera] Orycteropus afer is the last surviving species in Class Tubulidentata
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:07 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:07 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Echidnas are close, but the bestest is platypuses.
Egg laying mammal with venom, and a beak to duck you up further.
For the win!
posted by birdsquared at 12:25 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Egg laying mammal with venom, and a beak to duck you up further.
For the win!
posted by birdsquared at 12:25 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Capybara! Proud to be THE world's largest rodent.
posted by winterportage at 1:39 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by winterportage at 1:39 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Soz guys but you are all wrong except those of you who said dogs. The answer is of course, dogs.
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:06 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:06 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Swifts!
Flying your entire life without ever (rarely - only to breed) touching the ground.
posted by vacapinta at 2:22 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Flying your entire life without ever (rarely - only to breed) touching the ground.
posted by vacapinta at 2:22 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
I mean, except for humans, they are all pretty great, and, if humans put a little more effort in, they could be great, too.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:13 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:13 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I will note , for the dog faction, that you need to explain why, in the US at least, you are about 10x more likely to be shot by your dog than your cat. Are dogs loyal, or are they playing the long game?
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:14 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:14 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I am definitely coming to chariot pulled by cassowaries' Quoll Dance Party.
Aardvark first in class. In contrast to beetles [Class Coleoptera] Orycteropus afer is the last surviving species in Class Tubulidentata
I'm sorry, does that class name mean "tiny tube teeth"?? I am now going to have nightmares about what's in that snoot!
posted by eirias at 4:58 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Aardvark first in class. In contrast to beetles [Class Coleoptera] Orycteropus afer is the last surviving species in Class Tubulidentata
I'm sorry, does that class name mean "tiny tube teeth"?? I am now going to have nightmares about what's in that snoot!
posted by eirias at 4:58 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
you are about 10x more likely to be shot by your dog than your cat
I don’t have a cat, so I’m worried about that 10% chance of being shot by him. Are cats so dangerous that even nonexistent ones are deadly?
posted by moonmilk at 5:00 AM on August 23, 2023
I don’t have a cat, so I’m worried about that 10% chance of being shot by him. Are cats so dangerous that even nonexistent ones are deadly?
posted by moonmilk at 5:00 AM on August 23, 2023
Pangolin. Duh!
posted by pangolin party at 6:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by pangolin party at 6:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
honey badger for the land and sea otter for the sea.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:16 AM on August 23, 2023
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:16 AM on August 23, 2023
Are cats so dangerous that even nonexistent ones are deadly?
Only if you have an issue with cations.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:25 AM on August 23, 2023
Only if you have an issue with cations.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:25 AM on August 23, 2023
Mosquitos. They kill the most humans. The planet appreciates that about them, I am sure.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:46 AM on August 23, 2023
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:46 AM on August 23, 2023
you need to explain why, in the US at least, you are about 10x more likely to be shot by your dog than your cat. Are dogs loyal, or are they playing the long game?
I often wonder how many of those dog shoots owner stories are mans best friend taking the rap for a murder or suicide.
posted by Mitheral at 8:30 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I often wonder how many of those dog shoots owner stories are mans best friend taking the rap for a murder or suicide.
posted by Mitheral at 8:30 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I often wonder how many of those dog shoots owner stories are mans best friend taking the rap for a murder or suicide.
To be fair (and only speaking for the US), they are almost all "poorly secured shotgun while hunting" stories. If you've got a dog with you, don't leave your firearms (with safety off) anywhere your dog (or anything else) can knock it over, get tangled up with the trigger guard, smack into it, whatever.
I guess I am arguing that, whatever the best animal is, dogs outperform humans. The fact that cats outperform dogs is, in small part, driven by the fact that hardly anyone takes cats hunting.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
To be fair (and only speaking for the US), they are almost all "poorly secured shotgun while hunting" stories. If you've got a dog with you, don't leave your firearms (with safety off) anywhere your dog (or anything else) can knock it over, get tangled up with the trigger guard, smack into it, whatever.
I guess I am arguing that, whatever the best animal is, dogs outperform humans. The fact that cats outperform dogs is, in small part, driven by the fact that hardly anyone takes cats hunting.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
cats in all their forms. big cats. little big cats. house cats. barn cats. all good.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:27 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:27 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
All great apes, but I guess bonobos are the best because they're so sexy! And SO smart!
posted by primate moon at 9:37 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by primate moon at 9:37 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
All great apes, but I guess bonobos are the best because they're so sexy! And SO smart!
posted by primate moon
Do we do eponysterical on the Green? I mean, I bet not, but during Chat-a-thon?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:55 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by primate moon
Do we do eponysterical on the Green? I mean, I bet not, but during Chat-a-thon?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:55 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
PUPPIES.
Supporting evidence:
Photo Evidence A
Photo Evidence B
And finally Evidence C
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:14 PM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Supporting evidence:
Photo Evidence A
Photo Evidence B
And finally Evidence C
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:14 PM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Orangutan. Genus Pongo. Solitary “forest person” chilling in a tree eating fruit. Fabulous long red hair; crazy long arms; opposable thumbs. Building fancy nests, using tools to fetch hard-to-reach snacks. The greatest of the great apes—kinda like people would be if people were cool.
Thank you for subscribing to Orangutan Facts!
posted by obloquy at 8:59 PM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Thank you for subscribing to Orangutan Facts!
posted by obloquy at 8:59 PM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
This long, and no one has mentioned wombats? What other animal poops cubes?
posted by Ghidorah at 4:02 AM on August 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 4:02 AM on August 24, 2023 [5 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by supermedusa at 5:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [4 favorites]