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Old 08-23-2013, 09:16 AM
 
Location: God's Country
5,182 posts, read 5,226,058 times
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Because of our "superior" intellects, we humans suffer mental anguish, worry, knowledge of the certainty death, and mourning while animals escape such grief or at least suffer to a much lesser degree.

Excluding pampered household pets, the luckiest of the "wild" animals would seem to be orca. As adults, they have no natural predators. I've seen footage of one who literally tossed a great white shark upward, through the surface of the sea. up in the air. Just literally playing with it, like an adult with a child. Equally important, humans in general seem to admire them.

Smart as hell too. This one orca was tired of seafood and wanted a change of pace. So he chewed up a fish and spit out the chunks which floated to the surface. Large diving birds descended to the feast while orca simultaneously ascended and BINGO! .... he snared himself a poultry dinner.

Yessuh, the next time around, I want to be an orca.
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Old 08-23-2013, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Area 51.5
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I've never given any thought as to what animal I would like to be, but my father used to always say when he's reincarnated, he wants to come back as one of my dogs.
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Old 08-23-2013, 12:51 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
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I'd go for Brown-headed Cowbird. The Missus and I have a great sex life, we dump the kids off in somebody's else's nest, and fly off and see the world, and nobody wants to eat us or put us in a cage. It doesn't get any better than that.
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Old 08-24-2013, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Orange County, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Calvert Hall '62 View Post
Excluding pampered household pets, the luckiest of the "wild" animals would seem to be orca. As adults, they have no natural predators.
Not completely true. Not a predator, but mature bull sperm whales are capable of killing an orca, and are very aggressive when threatened. Orca usually avoid them. Orca may attack a pod of female sperm whales and try to take a calf, but even a healthy female sperm whale is a tough target. There is great sexual dimorphism in sperm whales, with bulls triple the weight of the cows, and besides powerful flukes, they are armed with huge teeth. Considered to be the only living thing that is a real threat to an orca.
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Old 08-24-2013, 02:00 PM
 
Location: God's Country
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackShoe View Post
Not completely true. Not a predator, but mature bull sperm whales are capable of killing an orca, and are very aggressive when threatened. Orca usually avoid them. Orca may attack a pod of female sperm whales and try to take a calf, but even a healthy female sperm whale is a tough target. There is great sexual dimorphism in sperm whales, with bulls triple the weight of the cows, and besides powerful flukes, they are armed with huge teeth. Considered to be the only living thing that is a real threat to an orca.
Yes, I often wondered about orca vs. sperm whale one on one.

Saw PBS footage of three orca working laboriously for like 18 hrs. to separate a baby sperm whale from mama. Finally, she was exhausted and orca prevailed. But then, they didn't eat it; simply killed the baby, and swam away.

Hard for me to understand their action, unless some driving instinct tells them to eliminate the competition for the same food supply. Like lions stalking and killing leopards.
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Old 08-26-2013, 03:25 PM
 
Location: Orange County, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Calvert Hall '62 View Post
Yes, I often wondered about orca vs. sperm whale one on one.
First of all, a lone orca would never try, if it did it would be no contest, the orca would be quickly killed. For those that like analogies, a mature bull sperm whale vs. a pod of orca would be like an adult male grizzly of at least average size facing off against a pack of wolves. Long time field observations have shown that almost every time the bear wins.
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Old 08-28-2013, 10:34 AM
 
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We would all be better off as bonobos.
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Old 08-28-2013, 03:06 PM
 
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Maybe a duck. I could fly, swim and walk on land. That intrigues me, having that much versatility and options. But, I guess staying away from duck hunters would be a goal, too.
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Old 08-28-2013, 09:55 PM
 
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I want to fly like an Eagle..


Steve Miller Band-Fly Like An Eagle - YouTube

Soar on updrafts, swoop down on prey, see with excellent visual acuity.
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Old 09-02-2013, 06:57 PM
 
Location: mid wyoming
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I always wanted to be either a Grizzly Bear or Wolverine pretty much get to do anything I wanted and not worry about much, ha, ha.
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