Hello dear readers,
Do you have a moment to talk about how Disney owes hyenas a huge apology?
Shenzi, Bonsai, and Ed may have been hilarious and iconic characters, but they also convinced people that hyenas were unintelligent, sneaky, and evil.
I'd like to have a word about that.
Hyenas are incredibly intelligent, both as individuals and when working together as a group. The hyena regularly out performs chimps in intelligence and teamwork tests.
Uh huh. Take that, Bubbles and Curious George. (He's a chimp, not a monkey, deal with it. Don't @ me.)
Hyenas are demonstrably smarter; but we think of chimps as furry little brainiacs. Make it make sense!
You want girl power? Forget Nala.
Always Sunny Reaction GIF
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You want hyenas for that. Their society is led by the girls, female hyenas are bigger and stronger than the boys, and the ladies aren't afraid to get scrappy.
They're also thought to be among the best mothers in the animal kingdom. Hyenas invest more energy per cub than any other terrestrial carnivore...
Far more than lioness, DISNEY. Y'all out here making Sarabi look like the distraught mother the whole movie and it turns out she probably didn't even notice Simba was gone...
While I appreciate Jasiri as your "good hyena Lion King character to make up for the movies" and acknowledge that Sisi Ni Sawa is a bop... I remain salty.
Lots of readers literally had no idea what that last paragraph meant, which is exactly my point!
It wasn't enough. Hyenas deserved better!
Reddit user sqnyq asked:
"Which animal do you think deserves more love and recognition than it gets?"
So yeah ... I don't really have a passionate and long-held opinion on this completely asinine matter at all.
Backyard Buddies
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"The opossum!"
"Eats ticks and pests, rabies resistant, carries cute babies on its back, has a bunch of teeth, marsupial!"
- impregnatEcOpWives
"Omg yes!! Every time I’ve ever seen a opossum they’ve been the chillest wild animal I’ve ever met."
- xchakrumx
"Yus! They eat ticks, which helps combat lime disease."
- Triborg501
"And they have little fingers 😍"
- ipakookapi
Diseased Flesh Eaters
"Turkey vultures."
"Hear me out: they look ugly AF, but they're gentle creatures who just clean up the environment naturally."
"If they get too scared, they will vomit themselves. They can eat diseased flesh without taking on any illness. They live in a flock, and are tied to their mates until death."
"They're also endangered in some areas."
- boomblebeez
"They were my favorite animal as a little kid and my family could never understand why lol"
"But they are just freaking rad. Also turkey vultures are so HUGE up close it’s amazing."
- xchakrumx
Keep Count
"Backyard birds."
"Set up a bird feeder and see how much enjoyment you can get just by watching and counting the different kinds of birds that show up."
"From my old deck I was able to identify 28 different species of birds."
- Feels2old
"I love the birds in the green space outside my flat!"
"I get robins, sparrows, great tits, big dumb wood pigeons, woodpeckers, Eurasian jays, and the occasional pheasant. They’re all adorable, my cats and I have lots of fun watching them."
- burgeremoji
Criminal Masterminds
Finding Dory Octopus GIF by Disney/Pixar's Finding Dory
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"Octopus are very intelligent creatures and fascinating to watch."
- bagpipesfart
"I love that story about a big aquarium having fish going missing from a lot of it's tanks, so they put up some cameras and their octopus turned out to be the culprit."
"It climbed out of its tank, walked over to the other tanks, jumped in, munched down some fish, climbed out, walked back, and put its lid back on."
- ipakookapi
"Not only that, the octopus actually memorized the guards walk around pattern to time its escape so that it didn't get caught!! Crafty little bugger"
- RazvanDubrinsky
"My favorite is the one that was being 'annoyed' by a light above its tank, so it figured out that it could shoot water at the light to cause it to short circuit and turn off."
"This also caused a bunch of the aquarium’s other electric systems to short out, causing a bit of a commotion."
"Several people question his motives; believing that it wasn’t about the light bothering him, but because he enjoyed the resulting commotion."
"Considering that some of the other stories about him show he was a sassy little thing, either one wouldn’t surprise me."
- GrimmSheeper
Bad Press
"Sharks, they do get recognition but most of it is negative. Sharks are 👌👌"
- --Dominion--
"Sharks are my fav animal."
"A couple years back we went on vacation to Florida and I went snorkeling with sharks with no cage just open ocean."
"It was easily the best, most relaxing, experience I've ever had. I think there was about 4 different kinds of sharks (I only remember lemon and bull sharks) and they were beautiful."
- manbamtan
"My favourite shark fun fact. They are older than the rings of Saturn."
- lenny_ray
Irritating Humans
"Spiders."
"Most are harmless to humans and they get rid of irritating bugs."
"They are also perfect for keeping away irritating humans."
- falkordragon233
"Nice choice."
"As long as they're not venomous, it's literally just a little guy living in your house and eating flies and mosquitos."
- ipakookapi
"Thank you!"
"I adore spiders. I got into macro photography for a while and spiders are my favorite to photograph - they're often so much more beautiful than we realize."
"And those little jumping spiders are the cutest darn things ever."
- BlacksmithAlert1313
Interesting Death
oscar keeper GIF
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"I like porcupines and find them interesting, but they smell like stale death."
"Any I've been near smell horrible and carry a cloud around them. It's entirely possible my experience is an outlier; I've only encountered them a few times, so I could be misled by a narrow sample."
"But the smell was assaulting. Still like them!"
- Dangercakes13
"Used to work at a zoo in my teens. Porcupines are super stinky to ward off predators."
"We used to rock paper scissors for who was going to pull weeds by their enclosure."
- SuparToastar
"I love them. They're cute and make cute noises. Also, have some of the best defense mechanisms."
- frostmasterx
How Many More Bugs
"Bats are one of the most beneficial animals on the planet."
"A single bat can eat over 1,000 insects in one night of feasting. Take into account the largest bat colony is in Texas and is about 20-40 million bats (depending on time of year)."
"Think about how many more bugs there would be without those bats."
- Winter-Life8196
"They are cute and fascinating and we should all be proud of them, they're the only mammals who have managed actual flight."
- siani_lane
"Upvote for skypuppies! Pollinators, bug eaters, they’re so biologically important."
- trocarkarin
Incredible
"Donkeys. Grumpy horse with bunny ears 😍"
- ipakookapi
"Yes!"
"They're stronger than horses, which is probably why they're carrying around all our stuff. They have great memory and bond for life."
"The reputation for stubbornness comes from the fact that they refuse to move if they feel they're in danger rather than run away."
"Horses flee. Donkeys stand their ground."
- dustnrose
"I love horses, been around them most of my life. But donkeys scare me, precisely because they don't have that same fleeing instinct as horses."
- imlumpy
"They're so close to horses but are suddenly so heartful and loving and they show affection in a very visible way."
"They can also cry if they miss someone and they usually come to greet people like dogs do."
"I'm your average dude, but they have a soft spot on me 😅"
- Yukazaka
"Fun fact, some farmers keep donkeys to protect their horses from coyotes and wolves. Donkeys will stomp the sh*t out of coyotes and that is incredible."
- JauneStrife
Pocket Puppies
sleepy photos GIF
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"Rats."
"They are incredibly smart, sweet, and social animals."
"One reason why they are often used for experiments (lab rats) is because they are so socially similiar to us humans. That gets more and more heartbreaking the longer you think about what that means."
"Rat Park is a great read about an experiment on how our life conditions affect likelyhood of drug addiction."
- [Reddit]
"100% I was scrolling to see if anyone had said this."
"I am a huge dog person but it wouldn't have been fair to have one in college. Rats are amazing and as rewarding as dogs."
"They are just as smart and loving. They learn tricks, love to cuddle and play."
"Sammy and Oliver got me through some of the lonely times of college."
- Dance-Various
"Totally agree, my ladies are so smart. They are way better trained them my cat."
"My favorite nickname for then is pocket puppies."
- supercalisto
Yucky Heroes
"Carrion feeders of every stripe."
"They are the heroes of the animal kingdom, providing important steps in decomposition and reclamation of matter, and people think they’re yucky."
"If you hit an animal with your car, and are able to stop, please stop and move the animal to the side of the road, it helps prevent carrion feeders from getting hit by cars later."
- kharmatika
Genes Are Jerks
"Okay so I know a lot of people hate pandas for them eating bamboo even though they’re designed to eat meat, but it’s not because they’re stupid. They lost their taste for meat."
"A gene they had which 'motivated' them to hunt and eat meat somehow disappeared. It’s not like they can control that."
"And people also say they don’t mate on their own. Well god made female pandas go into heat for only three flippin days out of an entire flippin year! That’s it!"
"Since their population numbers are so low and they don't exactly live in herds, what are the chances a male and a female are going to see each other in that time frame?"
"Exactly. Haters."
- Horror-Award-1144
Snake Spotting
"Crows. They are so intelligent!"
"When i was 14 working at a farm, some crow opened our chickens door. It didn't go in, it just opened it."
"The door was there to keep specific chickens separated from others, so I was annoyed like why the f*ck would a crow just open that door?"
"Anyways I closed it. A few minutes after I stepped away, the same crow opened the door again."
"This time when I went, I took a look. I was shocked."
"There was a huge snake in that enclosure with the chickens and the crow was literally trying to help the chickens to get away from the snake!"
"People just look at them as some useless bird or whatever but they are not."
- SolubleSlug
Little Tie Fighters
"The termite."
"They are fascinating and they know when it's going to rain!"
"The termites have a caste system. The soldiers will boot out the aeletes only when it will rain within 24 hours."
"Aeletes are winged reproductives; they will fly out of the nest and try to start a new one. They look like the tie fighters in Star Wars: four fixed wings like a biplane."
"They are harmless; you will see them in the evening with low wind, about 70% humidity and 30 degrees C. [World's American, I know. I wasn't brought up with Fahrenheit] "
"That's also a survival tip. If you see the winged reproductives flying then it's going to rain soon. Go to higher ground, prepare to collect rain etc."
"There are many different kinds of termites. Many have not yet been discovered."
"Some are similar to cockroaches in the way they lay eggs; the Giant Northern Australian termite. Others use parthenogenesis to reproduce. For instance, the French Guianan termite."
- Dense-Independent-66
Beaver Baddies
"Beavers."
"Did anyone say that yet? If they did, please know they are an awesome person. Please learn why! Links included because don’t take my word on anything."
"Beavers are incredibly hard workers, capable of the same level of decision making and precision that goes into our construction of dams or homes or chopping down trees. There ears can sense the slight trickle of water indicating a leak."
"In a story linked below the arrival of settlers in the 1800’s wiped out beavers in one area effectively destroying the ecosystems that the beaver dams had created and wildlife depended on. The loss of beavers was still so profound that HUMANS started to make their own beaver dams!!"
"Then like the born workers they are, a few beavers must have heard through the grapevine and took over what humans were doing with far more than their teeth and bare hands."
"They work so hard. Their work ethic is better than any humans. They are always on call. No nights off."
"Now, I truly admire the team work and socialist structure of most any colonies, but beavers can build dams that transform its environment and create their own mini ecosystem. They are incredibly important and considered a keystone species."
"The largest beaver dam is half a mile long and started in the 70’s and is located in Canada. That’s generations of beavers dedicated to the 'family business' of continuing this huge dam."
"They of course continue to MAINTAIN a dam a half mile long. Made of just sticks and trees and mud and whatever other tricks they have. I have the utmost respect for their abilities and contributions to their environments!"
"Seeing videos blowing up their incredibly hard work makes me sad. I get it, someone’s poor garden is flooded and we can’t stand for that. Or someone’s property is filling with water and they have the right to not want it to."
"But, it just seems so horrible to destroy something so incredibly built and with such hard work and dedication and brain power that we need to blow it up to take it down."
"For the record, I get that beavers can cost millions in damages to property and some support trapping when their numbers get high or they become a problem."
"But, I just truly hope animals have the capacity to just laugh at a species who’s numbers are growing faster than the environment can handle or support, whom quickly destroy and invade their homes before they take over and are everywhere, who cost thousands and thousands of years of growth and strength and survival in trees every year with their destruction, that species having the NERVE to point to others as needing help being controlled."
"Calling others destructive or a nuisance."
"The best part is saying with a straight face how another species population is growing too fast and too large and needs to be culled and controlled!"
"I know, I’m human. But even if it’s just us, it still feels hypocritical to say."
"BEAVERS ARE AMAZING (Just don’t think about the rodent thing)"
"Sources:"
"https://www.science.org/content/article/beaver-dam..."
"https://phys.org/news/2010-05-world-biggest-beaver..."
"https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67662/sound-ru..."
"https://www.bu.edu/articles/2015/beavers-vs-humans/"
"https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-do-beavers..."
- Rgsnap
You've heard Reddit get all Steve Irwin and champion for animals that don't get enough love.
Now it's your turn, wildlife warriors!
What creatures don't get the love they deserve?
Want to "know" more?
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Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIF
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...
The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
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"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
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"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
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"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
