Unpopular and Maligned Animals

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by starryeyes

I have a pet ferret named Smokey. I live in California where they are illegal and not of the norm. When I tell people about him, people always freak. They say ferrets are "baby killers" and will chew the fingers and noses off babies. I don't understand where this comes from. My ferret sleeps in his hammock all day, plays with my dogs, snuggles with me, watches me take a shower (lol) and is just a pleasant little cutie. Are these "baby killer" rumors true?? I have never seen anything in print that would justify them.

Cats also have this stigma. They are rumored to steal the breath of newborn babies.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/catsuck.asp

Originally Posted by Apocalipstic

I am moved to hear that rats have empathy. So cute.

I recently learned armadillos carry Leprosy...I had no idea. With the weather changes they are arriving in TN in larger numbers now.

Possums do creep me out, I admit. One lives behind our apartment and my roommate screams her head off every time it peers in our window. Big Butch girl meltdowns crack me UP!

Bugs? Our once every 13 year cicada infestations creep me out, but individual bugs I just leave alone mostly. After living in South America and Texas, our TN bugs seem kind of insignificant.

A coworker had a pet praying mantis until it flew off a d a bird ate it.

I had a praying mantis! She was awesome. She was quiet and required little care and Hell, any creature that rips the heads off of its mate is kind of cool in my book, not that I recommend that for us humans.

Originally Posted by RiverBoi

Bats would fit into this category. I personally think that they are kinda cute. AND I love the fact that they eat mosquito's (which is a WONDERFUL friend to have in the south) Bat's eat around 250,000 pounds of insects a night. I suppose many people are scared of them due to rabies or Ozzy lol. I haven't heard of a rabid bat swarm, targeting humans however.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-...17_1_bat-house

http://blog.liveattheorchard.com/fil...ustin-bats.jpg

Originally Posted by kannon

It's a baby gargoyle! Okay, not really but it does kind of look like it.

[kannon]

this was my most feared creature as a child



Somehow I always managed to have a stare off or a show down with one. They could sense the fear in me. I was frozen with fear. And it always, always ended with them JUMPIN. I never saw them land. I just assumed they were in full on attack mode and jumped on me to start their physical assault. My reaction was to run screaming to my mom and have her do a full body search.

[SoNotHer]

Love these. They make me smile every time I seem them, especially if they jump.

Originally Posted by kannon

this was my most feared creature as a child



Somehow I always managed to have a stare off or a show down with one. They could sense the fear in me. I was frozen with fear. And it always, always ended with them JUMPIN. I never saw them land. I just assumed they were in full on attack mode and jumped on me to start their physical assault. My reaction was to run screaming to my mom and have her do a full body search.

[Nat]

Originally Posted by kannon

It's funny that nat should start this thread cause one of my least fav animals are

Gnats

Those pesky little flying monkeys.

These smaller flies are worse than the bigger versions cause you can't see them coming or anticipate their flight paths.

Ah yes, gnats, the bane of my existence from preschool through adolescence. Thanks for the reminder.

[Nat]

Originally Posted by RiverBoi

Bats would fit into this category. I personally think that they are kinda cute. AND I love the fact that they eat mosquito's (which is a WONDERFUL friend to have in the south) Bat's eat around 250,000 pounds of insects a night. I suppose many people are scared of them due to rabies or Ozzy lol. I haven't heard of a rabid bat swarm, targeting humans however.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-...17_1_bat-house

The rabies thing is a deal with them, but I've had my rabies shots. I had a job for a while catching and releasing wildlife that had gotten into buildings on campus. Bat exposures were the most stressful because you often cannot tell if you've been exposed. If they brush against you, it's considered exposure. If you wake up and there's one in your room it's considered exposure. Their tiny teeth don't make much of a mark. All but one of the bats I caught were released back into the wild. But one bat I had to take down to animal control to have tested - which means killing the poor little guy. He'd crawled into a trash can, and one of the custodial staff reached into the bag and received what could have been a scratch or a bite. I'm sure it was quite a surprise to her! But the bat's little life was sacrificed to reveal no rabies. It's really sucky to drive an animal down to his own death. But rabies is serious. Once you have symptoms, you're already a goner.

I do love the cute little guys. The kind we had were the Mexican Free-tails.

[Miss Tick]

I do love rodents.

Capybara

The world's largest rodent.

It's like a giant hamster.

Interesting side note for catholics - papal dispensation has made the capybara a fish. So this lent don't forget the capybara burgers.

[Miss Tick]

Originally Posted by Nat

Thought it might be interesting to have a thread regarding the creatures people tend to dislike almost on instinct. My definition of animal here does not include humans or plants or fungi, but would include any other living entity that feeds on living things that feed on other living things.

In the spirit of living entities feeding on living things that feed on other living things I thought this article was interesting.

Bugs and Krill, the Other White Meats: Time to Start Eating at the Bottom of the Food Chain

http://www.alternet.org/food/153359/...he_food_chain/

[Jett]

Omg I luved luved luved my rat Peebo, he was a Black Hooded Rat and was so sweet and curled up on my shoulder every night for tv time... they are terrific little friends. =)

I've had snakes, rats etc. for buds and never been biten... I have however pulled my truck over to help a teeny tiny kitten on a remote highway and had my hand savagely attacked (I literally had to shake it off, lol) and ended up getting rabies shots... who knew kittens did crack? Not me apparently...

o.@

[Miss Tick]

Originally Posted by Jett

have however pulled my truck over to help a teeny tiny kitten on a remote highway and had my hand savagely attacked (I literally had to shake it off, lol) and ended up getting rabies shots... who knew kittens did crack? Not me apparently...
o.@

Well that must've sucked. You don't expect to be attacked by a kitten. It's not the same thing I know but this reminded me of the day when I was bitten by first a dolphin and then an emu. I felt like a bizarro world Dr Doolittle where all the animals hate me.

[Venus007]

I like king snakes, well I like most all snakes but king's have a special place in my heart. In the culture I grew up in, when someone gets a new house, it is traditional to give them a king snake to put under their house. King snakes eat other snakes, even venomous ones. So they are a snaky friend. They are also quite docile and easy to feed and handle in captivity. As an added bonus they look like coral snakes so other predators leave them alone.

[Glenn]

You can make your own home-made, low-fat, powdered protein drink if your hungry by cutting off the wings, arms, legs, and heads of insects, roast them over fire until crunchy, rub them between your palms, then stir your insect powder in water, etc. Or you can drypress them in a coffee filter and make cowboy coffee. Yum!

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

In the spirit of living entities feeding on living things that feed on other living things I thought this article was interesting.

Bugs and Krill, the Other White Meats: Time to Start Eating at the Bottom of the Food Chain

http://www.alternet.org/food/153359/...he_food_chain/

[always2late]

Originally Posted by kannon

Adorable!! I LOVE bats...can't wait to set up my bat box after the move!

[The JD]

Ahh! Snake! Could be poisonous, but maybe not. How does that saying go....Let's see, red next to yellow, kill a fellow, red next to black, friend of Jack. Hmm, okay, be still, snake, lemme see... check! Friend of Jack! This one's okay!

But who the heck has time to do that?? If I see a snake with red, yellow and black stripes, I'm running either way!!

Originally Posted by Venus007

I like king snakes, well I like most all snakes but king's have a special place in my heart. In the culture I grew up in, when someone gets a new house, it is traditional to give them a king snake to put under their house. King snakes eat other snakes, even venomous ones. So they are a snaky friend. They are also quite docile and easy to feed and handle in captivity. As an added bonus they look like coral snakes so other predators leave them alone.

[1QuirkyKiwi]

Originally Posted by kannon

Bats are cute! I live in a semi-rural area and the Bats here have attitude, either that, or they are drunk! LOL! When walking out at night they will fly directly into you....no biting, no excuse me, either, lol! Living surrounded by farms the area is crawling with wee bugs for them to feast on.

[Miss Tick]

Originally Posted by popcorninthesofa

You can make your own home-made, low-fat, powdered protein drink if your hungry by cutting off the wings, arms, legs, and heads of insects, roast them over fire until crunchy, rub them between your palms, then stir your insect powder in water, etc. Or you can drypress them in a coffee filter and make cowboy coffee. Yum!

I gotta ask. I get the wings, but why don't I want to include the arms, legs and heads? I mean protein is protein no?

[Miss Tick]

Hammerhead sharks attack humans on an average of once every 11 years.

Dogs bite more than 4.7 million people a year.



Still I'd rather be bitten by a dog.
Once a year.
For 11 years.

[Jett]

[Miss Tick]

Originally Posted by Jett

And he rocks. Who knew bats self stim. I had a few in my life but none that did.

That might be the cutest bat ever.

[Jett]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

And he rocks. Who knew bats self stim. I had a few in my life but none that did.

That might be the cutest bat ever.

Yes he rocks after he gets his little belly full (and good to see you my friend, now that I know who you are... heh =)

[SoNotHer]

This is one of the most amazing and frankly hopeful things I have seen in a while. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Jett