If you could live out the life of one animal, which would it be?

[ behold as I turn an essay question into brief retort! ]
Domestic: House cat
Wild: Polar Bear

I'd want to be either a horse (cuz I like 'em) or some kind of bird (cuz they can fly).

Probably some type of feline.

Definitely a cat. A cute, cuddly cat so someone would take care of me and I could just sleep, eat, get petted, eat and sleep some more.

No thanks. I'm quite content to continue on my present course...

A human. Unimaginative, moi?

Feline-domestic house cat.

A cat or some animal that lives a nice long cozy life.

A human.

A hummingbird...they seem to have a delightful little existence. Whenever you're hungry, eat sweet syrup from any available feeder installed by doting humans. Be conscious of your fragile beauty at all times.

A specific animal: Britney's dachsund. The thing is butt-ugly but it gets to be around her all the time

I would want to live life as a monkey. I've always had a fondness to monkies. I think I'd make a good monkey!

I don't want to be any animal. I'm happy as a human bean.

My favorite animal is the cat...BUT...I'm definitely a hamster.They said I look and act like a hamster since when I was little,I have chubby cheeks,look cute but become *very* aggressive when my territory is menaced,I think I will never be able to live with a friend or a SO because I'm extremely jealous of my space,like hamsters.My diet is hamster-like,I eat a lot of cereals,carrots,nuts...they always said I was a hamster so I will be a hamster.

IF extinct animals count, there were some cool 6' intelligent river otters no one knows about. Birds were a cool race before man came along. Dolphins and tree kangaroos are high on the list too.

something really dangerous and horrible. Like maybe a big huge snake in the Jungles of South America. Lazing around in the heat. Dropping down and asphyxiating passing animals and wildlife photographers. Yeah, a snake please.

None. Intelligence is the most important thing to me, how I define myself; being any animal would mean giving up the things I value most.

Squirrels have cool lives.

I'd be an Orange Monkey or whatever they're called. They're a species of monkeys, somewhere in Australia I think. Very kinnky. They get into orgies and all sorts of weird sex acts you could possible imagine.

monkies are quite intelligent. Also, many scientific data has shown that some amnimals have a brain size almost or passed that of humans per body mass; such as whales.

If not homosapien it would have to be neanderthal. I like having hands

nigger

I do not like that extinct animals do not count

lion

bird

Tasmanian Tiger

Monkeys have hands too.Well,it can be said that every mammal has hands.You like having opposable thumb,is that?

human

Yes. I also like intelligence, although that brings contemplation, melancholy and angst. What about a sloth? They don't look too worried about anything.

Hmm.. let's see do I move my left front leg first, or the right one, well i moved the left one last, if i moved it more, i might pinch a nerve, but then i could swing the right one further, but then i'd be obligated to swing it further, ah, but it could get more sun there, but then the sun might move by then, in fact, I might be too warm by then already, what muscles need the most exercise, perhaps I should try a new way of moving, will my fur get pinched, what's the bark look like there, will i be closer to good leaves, might i even go back the way i came, what if i have to take a crap, will i be hungrier then, what about bugs, oh wait, i forgot about my rear legs, this is exhausting figuring all this stuff out, perhaps i should just lie down andrest a moment while i figure all this stuff out, wait, where would my legs be then?
Alas, I know the potential pitfalls of the sloth all too well.

Yeah,sense of humor too.The animals don't have it.

a house cat........

Sloth stress!

Yeah, I often see my dogs doing things that are really funny, but they don't see it. A sense of humour is a good thing, probably the best thing humans have going for us.

What sort of dogs do you have? Do they have weird pastimes?

Just mongrels, but nice mongrels. I also have an Australian Blue Heeler who is the most intelligent dog I have ever seen. I often catch him alone, thinking about things. He seems worried all the time, melancholy and deep, but he does enjoy himself given the right circumstances. It confirms my belief that intelligence results in concerns with self more than ignorance does.

One dog will be asleep on the rug and onother will lay down virtually right on to of the other. The look of disgust from the first dog and the look of contentment on the other is funny. You have to be there. They will slip or fall when playing and I can't help thinking that if they were human the dogs watching another one slip over would be in hysterics.

penguin

They sound great. I don't know what a blue heeler is. I had meen envisioning some cross between an austrailian shepard and a gordon setter; something like a lanky hunting dog with very long black and white fur, long legs, and long nuzzles, and now that you describe their behavior, it's even easier to imagine such dogs fitting the bill.

It's a toss up. Either a dolphin or a cat.

Cats {a really privilege cat] lives such a cool life. Eat,sleep,play,groom,poop.Eat,sleep,play,groom,poop. Day in day out.

The dolphin gets to swim from one corner of the earth to the other & see all the sunken treasures & other thingd in the ocean.

But then a birds life is cool too. They too, also get to travel to the ends of the earth & see everything above the ocean.

Can't decide.

Tigers - I think they are beautiful animals, very majestic, strong, powerful.

polar bear

They are blue-grey with black or brown blotches, short course fur and a good looking face with pointed ears. They are very intelligent. I think they have some dingo in them. I saw a doco about human domestication of dogs where the Russians did an experiment with wild wolves that were all one colour. Only the wolves that showed interest of friendly tendencies towards humans were allowed to breed, then only the friendliest of the offspring were kept. After many generations the wolves began to act like domesticated dogs, but for reasons that could not be explained, their coats began coming in different colours, like domesticated dogs, and their tails began to wag when they had never wagged in wild wolves. Todays dogs are genetically modified by humans to be cute, playful and loyal. Dogs aren't really a natural species at all. We made them what they are, and I think we did a good job

Yep, so true. I like the illustration. The wolf and the dog are the main symbols of the moon card in the tarot. You should post us photos of you dogs sometime. What are their names?

I would be a do-do bird. The minute I was born, I would hit the books and become the only smart do-do bird on earth. Then, I would teach all the other do-do birds how to land properly.
With all that accomplished, and the last do-do bird demonstrates our new, perfected techniques, I will demand that these human beings relabel our species.
Thank you .

I had a vision of a time when birds were the supreme conscious species here, the final evolution of the dinosaur kingdom, wearing exotic plumage, living in eco-sufficiency, and exchanging tales from distant continents. At the same time I was introduced to my cousins bird, a conversant truly macaw, not just a mimic. I also met another cousin of mine on that trip who talks to animals and let's rattlesnakes slither over his bare feet. Birds have an amazing command of song if you listen deeply enough to grok their compositions.

The mocking bird never fails to steal my attention.

Kuri (Maori for dog) and Blue

Have you noticed that although any moment is just a basic mimic, the whole thing is a self-referential evolving classical composiotion? I've been waiting to shower and call you after wrapping up my replies, but they keep rolling in.

Cool.

A bat!!!!!!!!

ferret, stoat, weasel - something like that.

Feline

A man-hunting fox.

Dolphin... they say dolphin is only animal that has sex for pleasure.
Of possibly a falcon. To have a sight 'sharper than thy blade', and than I could fly.

I would like to be a housecat.I would have no responsibility.I would be loved just for being cute.

cat

I would like to be a whale, I think. Big one, maybe a blue whale. Maybe being a sperm whale would be more interesting. It's certainly more macho.

Elephant, matriarch.