The animal kingdom contains so much more than just iconic lions, lone wolves, and our beloved silly cats. Planet Earth is home to millions of different species that make us excited and immediately inspire us to learn everything about them. But while charismatic and cuddly creatures get all the hype, some critters are unfortunate enough to have a bad rep as dangerous, frightening, or even disgusting. So let’s balance out the scales a little bit, shall we?
Some nature enthusiasts pay attention to these underappreciated rarities and are ready to share their discoveries with everyone online. So when user sqnyq reached out to Ask Reddit with a very fine question, “Which animal do you think deserves more love and recognition than it gets?”, people wasted no time in typing out their answers.
To celebrate their efforts and show some admiration for these overly misunderstood creatures, we have gone through the thread and handpicked some of the best responses it had to offer. So scroll down and enjoy learning more about these species as much as we did. Share your own takes with us in the comments, and be sure to check out our previous feature on weird animal facts right over here!
#1 Shadow with a View
Crows, they are so intelligent
When I was 14, working at a farm some crown opened our chickens door (they were just a different breed that makes blue eggs, to separate them among the others we had them in a huge cage that they can really move around, a huge one). i was so fucking mad like why the fuck a crown would open that fucking door. anyways i closed it. few minutes after, same crown opened the door again. when i went there i was shocked. there was a huge snake there 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 whatsoever but they are not
Image source: SolubleSlug, alex°
#2 Night Shift Hangout
Bats.
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
Image source: Winter-Life8196, René Riegal
#3 Moo-ving On Up
Cows. They’re cute smart and kind. Like very big milk puppies
Image source: XienDzu, Alasdair Braxton
#4 Buzzing Through Life
The simple honey bee…
They are endangered and are a major part of the ecosystem. Without the honey bee lots of vegetation would die off due to the lack of pollination. No I am not a bee keeper or even work with bees, its just I have a healthy respect for them and what they do.
Spiders on the other hand can all go back to that alien planet they came from.
Image source: Spartan0536, Trollinho
#5 Master of Disguise
Octopus, very intelligent creatures and fascinating to watch
Image source: bagpipesfart, Pia
#6 Resting with a side of sass
All of the animals deserve more love, recognition, and respect.
Image source: Forsaken-Being-6610, Pixabay
#7 Low-Key Mischief Maker
Opossum!
Eats ticks and pests, rabies resistant, carries cute babies on its back, has a bunch of teeth, marsupial!
Image source: anon, Skyler Ewing
#8 Ready For Takeoff
Owl’s keeping the rodent population under control. Plus they are super cool.
Image source: Restrictedbutholding, Ronan Furuta
#9 Curled Up and Cautious
Hedgehogs. They’re literally an endangered species in the UK. I wish people would recognise that and do more to help!
Image source: atlapin, Sierra NiCole Narvaeth
#10 The Ears Have It
Donkey.
Grumpy horse with bunny ears
Image source: ipakookapi, David Selbert
#11 Wingspan Goals
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.
Image source: boomblebeez, Shlomo Shalev
#12 Seed Sharing Secrets
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.
Image source: Feels2old, Lidia Stawinska
#13 Master Of The Web
Spiders. Most are harmless to humans and they get rid of irritating bugs.
They are also perfect for keeping away irritating humans
Image source: falkordragon233, Erik Karits
#14 Straw Snack Sessions
Pigs!!!! They have emotions very similar to humans
Image source: jovi900, Christopher Carson
#15 Serious Eyes, Secret Thoughts
Pit bulls
Image source: jayareyouwing, Yohan Cho
#16 Contemplating Life’s Next Move
Orangutans. Being an ape and not being a batshit crazy violent animal is achievement enough in itself, but orangutans take it a step further and are surprisingly smart and docile.
Image source: pingasthrowaway, CHUTTERSNAP
#17 Nature’s Quirky Hybrid
The platypus; a mammal that lays eggs, has a duck bill, uses electrolocation, and has venomous claws.
Image source: Mikemtb09, Meg Jerrard
#18 Curious Critter Alert
Squirrels. I could watch squirrels run around and climb trees all day long.
#19 Master of Natural Armor
The Pangolin. It’s severely endangered yet It’s not protected.
Image source: Kovuthebilion, flowcomm
#20 Cluck Yeah Moments
Chickens. Smart, affectionate, with complex social lives and personalities, they can be kind, affectionate, sneaky, greedy, generous, caring or selfish… each one it’s own unique personality
Image source: Cristalsis, Alexas_Fotos
#21 Silent Ocean Glider
Sharks, they do get recognition but most of it is negative. Sharks are 👌👌
Image source: –Dominion–, Gerald Schömbs
#22 Quietly Curious
Red pandas… So damn cute.
Image source: 420farms, Flickr
#23 Gentle Giant Moves On
Elephant
Image source: SomeBrownChic, David Clode
#24 Snack Time Secrets
Rats.
They are incredibly smart, sweet, and social animals who *did not cause the black plague*. One reason why they are often used for experiments (lab rats) is because they are so socially similar to us humans. [Rat Park]
Image source: ipakookapi, Pixabay
#25 Quietly Chewing Through Life
Beavers.
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)
Image source: Rgsnap, Denitsa Kireva
#26 Silent Watchers in the Grass
Hyenas. For hundreds of reasons.
Disney did them dirty.
Image source: escape1979uk, Javi Lorbada
#27 Ocean’s Gentle Giant
Beluga Whale.
ITS FOREHEAD IS SO CUTE. And it looks absolutely adorable coated with blubber all around
Image source: FamilyGuy-SugarMama, insung yoon
#28 Fluttering Into Focus
Butterflies
Image source: llcucf80, Gary Bendig
#29 Three’s a Comedy Crowd
Dogs for sure, they get all the love and recognition and they still deserve more.
Image source: Truejewtattoo, Anoir Chafik
#30 Forest Duo Alert
Bears
Image source: riddlesntales, Ben Owen
#31 Perched and Pensive
Vultures are natures sanitizer.
By eating the carrion, they prevent the spread of diseases. Their stomach acid destroys any pathogens and they also have a very stout immune system and their urine and defecations “cleans” the area of the carcass.
Image source: Effroyablemat, Glen Carrie
#32 Strutting Without a Care
Pigeons!! We domesticated them for communication but now that we don’t need them they’re considered ugly and gross. But they don’t fear humans which is why they’ll come up to us. Poor things.
Image source: Danyanks37, sanjiv nayak
#33 Silent Watcher Moves
Reptiles generally. A lot of people think of reptiles and are disgusted. They either think of slimey snakes or agressive dragons. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t always cute and cuddly, but there’s so many snakes in rescues that never get a home because of the stigma.
I don’t think an exotic pet is right for everyone by any means, in fact I think it should be more regulated so that you have to put some thought into having one, but they really can be affectionate with the right owner and time.
Image source: KaleidoscopeInside, Jedi Equester
#34 Bamboo Buffet Bliss
Okay so I know a lot of people hate pandas for them eating bamboo even tho 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 in heat for only three flippin days out of an entire flippin year. That’s it. Since their population numbers are so low, what are the chances a male and a female are going to see each other in that time frame
Image source: Horror-Award-1144, Jonathan Meyer
#35 Colorful Conversations
Parrots
Parrots are awesome
Image source: MathematicianBulky40, David Clode
#36 Big Beak Energy
The shoebill bird. I know most people won’t think so, but I think that it’s the cutest animal I’ve ever seen
Image source: Obsessed_with_ducks, Melissa Askew
#37 Strutting in Style
The Cacomistle or the Maned Wolf, both are really cool animals!
Image source: AzryxTheFolf, Jonathan Wilkins
#38 Unexpected Ocean Unicorn
Narwhal
Unicorn of the Ocean.
Image source: SusieTheHomemaker, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB_%D0%B2_%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%90%D1%80%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B5.jpg
#39 Leading the Quack Pack
Ducks
Image source: TheDrawingDucky, Vlad Tchompalov
#40 Silent Strength Stands Tall
Gorillas. They’re cool. But I don’t hear people saying they’re thier favorite animal much
Image source: iUsedRedditSince2010, Amy Reed
#41 Heavy Yet Gentle
Rhinoceros.
Image source: Caramel-Popcorn321, Nicole Wreyford
#42 Graceful Moments Unfold
Swans. They will commit sewer slide if their partner dies. Beautiful and sad at the same time.
Image source: Kathy_05, Drazen Neske
#43 Slow and Steady Wins It
Turtles
Image source: AmAcC67, Zdeněk Macháček
#44 Who’s the real boss?
Skunks, they are wonderful animals.
Image source: my2cents3462, Elisa Stone
#45 Mane Attraction
Lions. I just admire on how majestic and mystifying they can be.
Image source: MannyRodriguez146, Mika Brandt
#46 Chillin’ in Color
Lizards in general. I hate when people say that they can not form social connections, I have a bearded dragon that will go out of her way to cuddle up to me, I had a male dragon that was best friends with my golden lab. Their favorite activity was looking out the window together. They would sit there, and my dragon would snuggle up to his ear and they would watch squirrels for hours. I believe that social cues for reptiles are very foreign and alien to us, but if you can find a way to open a door to their heart, you will never find a warmer place, even with cold blood. It is kind of like the way that I am attracted to ‘bitchy’ women, sure they are scaled and thorny on the outside. But when she wants to love on you and cuddle up, you will feel like the most important person in the world.
Image source: NoTop4997, LOURDES CASTRO
#47 Fluffy Trio Vibes
Guinea pigs
Image source: HilariousInformative, Jaroslaw Slodkiewicz
#48 Unexpectedly Adorable Armor
The porcupine. I like them and find them interesting, but they smell like stale death. Just 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.
Image source: Dangercakes13, Enguerrand Blanchy
#49 Crosswalk Chronicles
Humans, I see a lot of people (especially on Reddit) that seem to be misanthropes who hate their own species and each other, its a shame really. I wish people showed the same love that they have for other animals towards humans instead of constant hatred towards each other, it would really make the world a better place.
Image source: Jman_777, Ryoji Iwata
#50 Busy Building Bosses
The termite.
They are fascinating. 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 Centigrade. [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.
Image source: Dense-Independent-66, Filipe Fortes
Follow Us
