this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2024
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[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 64 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (7 children)
[–] Chozo@fedia.io 28 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Skunks really are deceptively adorable. There's a family of them that hang around the area between my home and the gas station I sometimes walk to at night, and I've caught them out there crossing the street and thought "Aww, how cu- ohfuuuuck walking back home, walking back home, runningbackhome"

I used to work with somebody who says she kept a de-glanded (not sure what the term is) skunk as a kid, and apparently they make good pets and allegedly have "fat ferret energy". But apparently they still stink even without their gland.

[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 13 points 4 months ago

Yes, they can't spray you with the stink, but it's still coming from them. I love skunks, their intelligence, their playfulness, their sociability, but nevertheless would not like to own one or ever come anything close to a wild one because I react strongly to smells.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You're pretty, but stinky.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 14 points 4 months ago

Thanks! We Skunks work hard to achieve this perfect balance.

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[–] gnu@lemmy.zip 51 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

A blue ringed octopus - they're a cute looking tiny octopus but quite capable of killing a human.

What's worst is that after getting bitten by one you will be mentally alert but completely unable to do anything as you feel your body just stop doing things that keep you alive (like breathing)...

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

as you feel your body just stop doing things that keep you alive (like breathing)...

As I understand it (and to be fair, I'm no octopus scientist or human medical doctor) it's pretty much just breathing that's the issue. It doesn't really directly cause any damage on its own (though the consequences of not breathing can and will of course cause quite a lot of damage in pretty short order)

The venom causes paralysis, basically by (someone correct me if I'm wrong) clogging up the receptors your body uses to send signals to your muscles. It will all get cleared up in about 24 hours or so though.

Problem is that you use some of those muscles to breathe. But if you make it to shore (you also need some of those muscles to swim) and if you get put on a ventilator right away (to do the breathing for you,) your prognosis is actually pretty good and there's a nearly 100% survival rate (although that has to be two of the biggest "ifs" in all of medicine)

Another thing that comes to mind is your heart also uses muscles to do its thing, and I'm not totally clear on why that doesn't seem to be a factor here, since paralyzing those muscles is basically just instant cardiac arrest. I did a bit of googling, but I'll be honest I was in deep over my head in medical jargon and couldn't make heads nor tails of it. I think my takeaway is that tetrodotoxincan affect the heart muscles, but I guess for whatever reason (dosage? Different kinds of muscles? The way your body processes the venom and moves it around your body? I really don't know) it just kind of doesn't, which I guess is lucky for us. I'm kind of hoping someone who speak doctor will maybe see this and give an ELI5 answer to that.

I suspect there's probably a lot of minor consequences, like I bet your next trip to the bathroom once you recover in going to be some sort of event after your bowels stopped moving for 24 hours, but otherwise it seems like if you hang out on a ventilator for a day unable to move (which, to be fair, is probably one of the last ways I'd want to spend a day, but I guess it narrowly beats out a refrigerated cubby in the morgue) you're pretty much in the clear to get on with your life.

[–] GorgeousWalrus@feddit.org 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

An anaesthesist friend of mine once told me that there are two kinds of muscles - the ones you can actively control (such as muscles in arms and legs and also the muscles for breathing) and those you cannot, such as your heart and intestine-muscles (around the gut etc.). The latter has a different kind of receptors and isn’t affected by the stuff that they use in hospitals to put you down, but since the breathing is stopped, you’ll always be intubated.

I guess this poison is of the same kind but I don’t know the technicalities…

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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 44 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (6 children)

Bear. I wanna bear hug, but not really.

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 40 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Otter. They're a bunch of water gangster, they are fierce and they will bite. Even crocodiles and snake fear them when in group, human should leave them alone. Freaking cute creature though i just wanna pet one.

[–] watersnipje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 4 months ago

It helps that they smell godawful. They’re funny and cute and adorable but the whole otter smells like a butthole, which stops me from petting them. Barely.

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[–] FrostyCaveman@lemm.ee 35 points 4 months ago (6 children)

A big cat, any of them really. They look so cute and I’d have my guard down because of how much they remind me of little cats. And then boom it’d hit me, they might be running the same Cat Brain OS but they’re capable of taking me out in one swift swipe if they wanted to and if I accidentally irked them somehow (also not having any positive attachment to humans they might not hold back). But it’d be too late, and I’d die terrified but also beholding the cute, cute kitty.

[–] fsxylo@sh.itjust.works 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I saw a tiger pacing back and forth and thought "yup, predator" and then it rolled on its back and exposed its fluffy belly and I was immediately disarmed.

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[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 35 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Most big cats are extremely cute and do silly kitty-like things.

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[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 34 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The realest answer: baby bear. Because the mother is right around the corner.

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[–] sylveon@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Definitely polar bear. They look so cuddly but I would be terrified to even see one from afar.

[–] memfree@lemmy.ml 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You don't see them. You are on the ice and so are they. They hunker down and purposefully cover their nose with their paw when you look in their direction. When you look away, they creep closer until your head starts to turn again. They don't want you don't see the little black spot getting closer and closer. If you are lucky and looking around while you are out on the ice, you will see a little black spot disappear. If you do. GET OUT NOW. If the spot was big enough to notice, the bear is probably close enough to charge. I hope your snow machines are close and ready to go.

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[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 28 points 4 months ago

hippopotamus

[–] norimee@lemmy.world 28 points 4 months ago

The Blue Ringed Octopus is a cutie. Tiny little guy, you could just scoop up with your hand.... has one of the most potent toxins on earth, and there is no antidote.

[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 23 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Wolves. Fuckers are fierce but they look like good boys.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 10 points 4 months ago (4 children)

They are wild animals, but are almost eerily human.

They are incredibly smart and highly emotionally intelligent. Their families are very much like our own human families, and knowledge is passed down through generations. Some families pass down specialized knowledge that puts them on par with hunter-gatherers. I'd put wolves on the short list of intelligent species who could eventually evolve into a species that could be capable of much more, given a long enough timeline where they self-select for intelligence. Same with elephants, ravens, dolphins, chimps, and whales.

Though that would have to exist on a planet where we didn't kill most of them and wreck the environment.

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[–] Zak@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There are some very cute cobras.

[–] SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 4 months ago

WATCH A VIDEO OF SNAKES DRINKING WATER RIGHT THE FUCK NOW

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 20 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Platypus. So goofy looking on one hand. Poisonous spurs on the other.

[–] wildcardology@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

Venomous, platypus produce venom.

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[–] tunetardis@lemmy.ca 19 points 4 months ago

Slow loris. They have this look like they're scared and want to be cuddled, and if they could speak, they'd probably say "Oh my, did I forget to tell you I'm the only poisonous primate?"

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)
[–] rmuk 11 points 4 months ago

Nothing more dangerous than a female haggis guarding her neeps.

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[–] Kaiyoto@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Sloth. From what I've heard, they can move fast when they want to and will fuck people up with those claws. B

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[–] Travelator@thelemmy.club 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Koala, cute as hell but those big pointy claws, no THANK you sir.

[–] DampSquid 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)
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[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 15 points 4 months ago

Wow, nobody said sea lion yet. Cute, yes. Vicious, also yes.

[–] Atin@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago

Honey Badger

[–] blargerer@kbin.melroy.org 13 points 4 months ago
[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Bunnies. I got bit by a bunny when I was a kid. They have these sharp little teeth and it made me bleed. I'm still anxious around rabbits.

[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)
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[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 months ago
[–] rustyfish@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I really want to hug a walrus.

[–] GorgeousWalrus@feddit.org 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Dogs. They're the one animal I can actively get close to daily which depending on upbringing can either be very loving and sweet, or absolutely territorial monsters.

When I was in high school there was one of those dogs, he'd bark lightly, or his front paws on the picket fence and wag his tail extra hard, which are normally signs of wanting to be pet, except if you got within petting range he'd go for a bite.

Cat's at least get away from you if they don't want attention. I've learned more about dog body laungauge since high school, but I've also been bitten since then on just a random walk by (not going for a pet) just as the owner was saying it didn't bite. It did.

Though I suppose terrified it's a bit much. Wary is more like it.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

A whale. They're not particularly aggressive, but their normal motions have the potential to shatter every bone in your body if you approach them wrong, like if you approached them where their tail ends up hitting you. That and I imagine you'd have to be able to swim to approach them in the first place without being terrified, so that rules me out.

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[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 10 points 4 months ago
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