"Who wants to save an ugly animal?"

[asterroc]

I'm sure that sammka does - the pic's of an aye-aye. *grin*

ETA: Ack, we're selectively breeding endangered species for cuteness!

Comments

[q10.livejournal.com]

you may be interested in our ‘destory all pandas’ campaign...

[q10.livejournal.com]

ooh! there's a link to a group interested in preserving mammalian species based on geek-appeal!

seriously, they have a long beaked echidna for a mascot, and their top ten list includes the sumatran rhino (which is not only an adorably petit rhino, but is also the only surviving wooly rhino). as soon as i make sure these people are vaguely respectable and efficient, i need to send them some money.

now if only i can get the to expand taxonomically a bit, and maybe stand up for the coelacanths...

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Eee! Stands for Echidna!

This conversation reminds me of how the [Unknown site tag] are radically against breeding - some see their mission in life to eliminate birds from the pet market. For my part, I'd rather see these species domesticated than eliminated. And now I have an image of a giant emu plodding along chanting robotically "DOMESTICATE!"

[sammka.livejournal.com]

I LOVES ME MY UGLY AMINALS!

I also am really surprised they don't think the long-eared jerboa is cute! For unexplainable reasons I was OBSESSED with jerboas for years during my teenage years!

[q10.livejournal.com]

i think they just freaked out because it was eating a bug.

huge ears definitely contribute to cuteness. the fennec are a better-known example, but that jerboa makes the point too.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

Also, although you can't quite see them in the picture, sproingy little legs! They're like miniature kangaroos, hopping through the desert!

[q10.livejournal.com]

to judge from the picture here, the large-eared jerboa is too cute to be a real animal. i'm getting more and more perplexed by the claim that its lack of cuteness is what's killing it.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's the fact that it's not megafauna? I mean, it's cute, but perhaps people somehow subconsciously prioritize larger, more "important"-seeming animals in addition to cute ones.

Case in point: blue whales, which when you think about them are mostly pretty ugly.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I certainly thought it was cute myself.

Aye-aye(s) (what's the plural form?) remind me of those rubber dolls where you squeeze the middle and the eyes and ears pop out. That icon of yours really reinforces it. :-P

[sammka.livejournal.com]

Yup, and here is one being squeezed!