What are your favorite animals?

[The Walrus]

Animals are cool. Let's talk about our favorites!

Whales: all are cool, but orcas and blue whales are the coolest
Bears: all bears rock, but Kodiak bears and polar bears specifically are my favorites
Frogs: colorful frogs are the coolest imo, that's why poison dart frogs are my favorites
Birds: the golden eagle and bald eagle are the coolest birds, and owls in general are awesome, although I find the faces of barn owls unsettling
Cats: house cats of all kinds are the best pets, sure, but the big cats are some of my favorite animals ever and I love all of them. Tigers in general are probably my single favorite animals (tied with orcas) but lions, cheetahs, leopards etc. all rock.

[Adami]

Walruses.





Also Kangaroos are my personal favorites along with baby Elephants (and adult elephants to a slightly lesser degree).

[Elite]

Rhino

[The Walrus]

The walrus is indeed a spectacular creature. Not one of my favorites although I find them fascinating. And seals.   Elephants and kangaroos are awesome animals. The only time I've ever seen an adult elephant in person was at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago as a kid and it blew my mind how giant those things are.

Rhino

Rhinos are amazing creatures! It's a shame some species are critically endangered. If I recall correctly the last male northern white rhino died in 2018.

[Chino]

The octopus is the coolest animal. They're unique looking, crazy smart and use tools. They're brave and their camouflage system is almost alien. 

[The Walrus]

The octopus is the coolest animal. They're unique looking, crazy smart and use tools. They're brave and their camouflage system is almost alien. 

[pg1067]

Animals are cool. Let's talk about our favorites!

Whales: all are cool, but orcas and blue whales are the coolest
Bears: all bears rock, but Kodiak bears and polar bears specifically are my favorites
Frogs: colorful frogs are the coolest imo, that's why poison dart frogs are my favorites
Birds: the golden eagle and bald eagle are the coolest birds, and owls in general are awesome, although I find the faces of barn owls unsettling
Cats: house cats of all kinds are the best pets, sure, but the big cats are some of my favorite animals ever and I love all of them. Tigers in general are probably my single favorite animals (tied with orcas) but lions, cheetahs, leopards etc. all rock.

Whales:  Agree.  The picture below is a blue whale's fluke that I took back in 2009.  Humpback whales are also cool because of their tendency to breach.  They look like they're having so much fun!  Pretty much all marine mammals are awesome:  dolphins, walruses, seals, etc.  Also, while they are sharks and not whales, I will mention whale sharks.  Super cool and chill.

Bears:  Agree.  Pandas (both giant and lesser/red varieties) also require mentioning.

Frogs:  Couldn't disagree more.  Frogs are gross and terrifying.  Lizards, on the other hand, are pretty cool.  We have a ton that live in our yard.  They eat bugs.  Yay!

Birds:  Birds of prey and owls are cool.  Not terribly fond of others, especially those who shit on my car.

Cats:  My wife and kids suckered me into agreeing to four cats.  Mostly they're cool, but their fucking fur gets everywhere, and one of them pees all over the place, which pisses me off.  We also have a mid-sized (about 40-50 pounds) dog.  She's pretty awesome but super-neurotic.  Big cats are super cool, and tigers are the best.

Koalas are also cool.

Elephants and kangaroos are awesome animals. The only time I've ever seen an adult elephant in person was at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago as a kid and it blew my mind how giant those things are.

Since I live in Southern California and have kids, I have spent a fair amount of time at the San Diego Zoo and the Wile Animal Park over the past couple decades.  Both are super cool.  I'm not a huge fan of elephants, although I think they're really interesting creatures.  Speaking of "how giant those things are, on one visit, a male elephant was ... umm ... sporting wood.  I have a picture somewhere.  It was pretty damn amazing.

[The Walrus]

What's terrifying about frogs?  Some are pretty ugly, and I've had some jump right into my face which freaks me out, but they're so cute! Also, hard agree on red pandas and pandas in general, wonderful animals.

I want to see whales in person so, so badly. I'm scared to death of getting on the water but I'd love to be in a boat and see whales breaching nearby. Absolutely breathtaking animals, whales.

[gmillerdrake]

In general I'm an animal lover and when you really look at each species they're remarkable in their own way. But for the sake of your question I'll do a top 5:

1) Snakes. I LOVE snakes. Any animal that can move without limbs is pretty incredible. Plus, some of the most beautiful natural patterns can be found in snakes (google Gaboon Viper or Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake) Additionally, the different avenues of hunting/killing their prey is awesome. Constriction, venom....eat alive.....ambush.....'hunting'.....it's all cool to me.

2) Birds of Prey   Well, birds in general but specifically the raptors and birds of prey. Much like the snakes (reptiles) there are some really cool plumage and patterns / colors in birds. Their vision and flight.....just really neat animals.

3) Cats   With emphasis on the 'big' cats like Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Mountain Lions etc etc. Beautiful creatures who have varying 'social' constructs. But their bodies are just built for power and hunting. So quiet yet so strong.....LOVE cats.

4)  Dolphins   This could include Killer Whales as well since they're technically in the dolphin family.....but they're perfectly built for the ocean. Their sense of community is cool and love the echo location ability and they way they communicate. One day the descendants of Dolphins are going to find our fossils and try to figure us out much like we have with the dinosaurs.

5) Primates   There is little doubt in my mind that primates have a consciousness and an understanding of the world around them.  The more we learn about them it's pretty clear they possess a pretty strong intelligence. It saddens me when thinking about the way mankind has treated them knowing what we know about them now. Where man wasn't happy with the balance he once had with nature and felt the need to abandon it in pursuit of something 'better'......primates are an example of a species that coexists with everything else. 

[The Walrus]

^^ Totally agree with all your observations, Gary. Great call on snakes, snakes are REALLY cool! My favorites are the big bois like anacondas and pythons, but also rattlesnakes and the king cobra Dolphins are lovely animals although their teeth creep me out.

Another favorite of mine: the sea dragon. Also, a shoutout to jellyfish of all kinds - jellyfish rule.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Always been so fascinated by bears in general especially Polar Bear.

Also Walruses are incredible animals too.

[gmillerdrake]

Another favorite of mine: the sea dragon. Also, a shoutout to jellyfish of all kinds - jellyfish rule.

Sea creatures in general are pretty amazing. Those Bioluminescent species that live in the pitch black depths of the ocean.......just beautiful and mesmerizing. The Cuddlefish is one of those sea creatures that is awesome also.....the way it can change it's skin color/tone....really neat. 

[The Walrus]

Did you know that clownfish and other fish have the ability to change sex? Literally switch sexes entirely. Their physical appearance completely changes too. It's incredible!

[gmillerdrake]

Did you know that clownfish and other fish have the ability to change sex? Literally switch sexes entirely. Their physical appearance completely changes too. It's incredible!

yeah....I've seen that before.....I think on one of those shows like "Blue Planet' or 'Planet Earth'? anyway, really fascinating stuff.

[Adami]

Did you know that clownfish and other fish have the ability to change sex? Literally switch sexes entirely. Their physical appearance completely changes too. It's incredible!

Yup! Now go watch Finding Nemo again with that knowledge. 

[Indiscipline]

Cats. Never lived a second in my life without being proudly "owned" by a cat.

Horses. IMO, the most fascinating animals; proud yet our humble friends for millennia, totally crazy yet capable of amazing sweetness.

[pg1067]

What's terrifying about frogs?  Some are pretty ugly, and I've had some jump right into my face which freaks me out, but they're so cute!

Cute?  Hell no.  They're slimy and jumpy and EEEWWWW!  When I was a kid, we'd occasionally get one in our backyard pool.  I would use our pool skimmer (so as to stay as far away from it as possible) and basically launch it as far as possible.  As far as I know, I never landed one on anybody...   

I want to see whales in person so, so badly. I'm scared to death of getting on the water but I'd love to be in a boat and see whales breaching nearby. Absolutely breathtaking animals, whales.

Not surprisingly, we have a bunch of whale watching companies here in SoCal.  Some really know how to find the whales and how to get close without disturbing them.  I've never seen a humpback in person (although we do occasionally get them around here), but I've seen tons of blue and California gray whales.  Coolest whale watching trip I ever did was in early April off the coast of Seward, Alaska.  Didn't see a single whale (they were probably a week or two away from returning to Alaska from their migration), but the boat ride was AMAZING!  It was probably in the 40s, so most of the folks hung out inside, so I basically had the deck all to myself.  I can remember standing right at the bow of the boat and going up and down probably 30 feet as the boat moved through the ocean.  Definitely make a trip when you get a chance.

Did you know that clownfish and other fish have the ability to change sex? Literally switch sexes entirely. Their physical appearance completely changes too. It's incredible!

Yup.  If you watch the "everything wrong with" video for Finding Nemo, the guy talks about that.

[The Walrus]

Now you guys are trying to ruin Finding Nemo for me!!  I first learned about that fish sex changing on that Our Planet docu-series. I watched Finding Nemo after that, and didn't think about it. Now that you all have mentioned it though...

[Lethean]

Also, a shoutout to jellyfish of all kinds - jellyfish rule.

You only think so because you haven't been in the ocean.

[The Walrus]

Also, a shoutout to jellyfish of all kinds - jellyfish rule.

You only think so because you haven't been in the ocean.

Look, the ocean is jellyfish territory If I enter their turf, I deserve whatever I get. But you know what really scare me either way are the Portguese manowar and the box jellyfish. The manowar's tentacles can be 30+ feet... sometimes up to 100!

[Lethean]

Yeah that would scare me too.  Regular jellyfish are bad enough.

[ariich]

Otters are the best them.

[The Walrus]

Otters are great 

[Snow Dog]

Osprey - Never heard of them until moving to Oregon. Watching them fish is a thing of beauty. And they always carry their fish head forward in flight. Pretty cool.

Huskies - Cute as hell as puppies, gorgeous as adults.

Dead mosquitos - The best state for these nasty things.

Oh, and:

[The Walrus]

My brother has two huskies, a boy and a girl. They're the best dogs for sure. So goofy but fun loving. Hey, speaking of good boys, here's a very good boy in his natural habitat:

[KevShmev]

I agree with the post saying that snakes are fascinating, interesting, etc., but for me, they are like spiders in this regard: cool, but we have a mutual agreement: you stay away from me, and I will stay away from you.

I grew up hating cats, and I can't say they are a favorite now, but I've had a couple girlfriends over the years who had cats and they were pretty bad ass, so I have mostly warmed up to them, although I would still never own one on my own (unless any future mrs. insisted on it ).

[pg1067]

Otters are the best them.

Yup...they deserve special mention in the marine mammal category.  Less so for river otters.

My brother has two huskies, a boy and a girl. They're the best dogs for sure. So goofy but fun loving. Hey, speaking of good boys, here's a very good boy in his natural habitat:

When I was in Alaska I REALLY wanted to go kayaking in the ocean and hopefully see some orca.  Sadly, because of the time of year we were there, no one was yet doing ocean kayak trips.  I have, however, seen orca up close many times at Sea World.  They're super cool.

[cramx3]

I really like Chimps.  They are so similar to humans that it makes them really interesting to me.  I'd love to have a pet monkey if it were feasible. 

I've always been fascinated with sharks, just because they are such huge water predators.

I think one of the coolest animal experiences I've had was getting a behind the scenes private tour of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.  My x's sister had a job there and was able to take us behind the scenes.  I got to play with a fox and the penguins and it was so cool! 

I'm such a big animal lover and with all the stay at home stuff, I've been doing a lot more sitting outside and observing my own local animals.  I've got a cardinal and his wife and baby.  A mom and dad rabbit with their baby, a squirrel who likes to fuck shit up, and an opossum that only comes out if I start a fire right after sunset.

[The Walrus]

"a squirrel who likes to fuck shit up" 

[TAC]

I am fascinated by crocodiles, and I think hippos rule because they crocodiles actually leave them alone.

[cramx3]

Hippos will fuck you up, thats why.  Crocs know that.

[Indiscipline]

[Puppies_On_Acid]

My favorites would be Falcons and Owls, Jaguars, and Wolves. Especially wolves.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

My favorite animal is chicken, particularly the dark meat.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

My favorite animal is chicken, particularly the dark meat.

Mmm, they are quite tasty.