4 ms·
Pricenomics, everything is bullshit book had this problem described, where cute-species get the love and not so cute ones even though more endangered and vital
by sremani 11y ago
Pricenomics, everything is bullshit book had this problem described, where cute-species get the love and not so cute ones even though more endangered and vital to eco system, do not get love and subsequent funding. That is why WWF has a Panda, cute animal vs. some smelly weird looking frog.
- dankohn1 11y agoThe technical term is charismatic megafauna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna
- mrob 11y agoBut whales get a lot of support, and whales are not very cute. They have tiny eyes compared to their head, and eye:head ratio is probably the most important factor for determining cuteness. And humpback whales, one of the most popular species, have ugly tubercles on their skin which you'd probably mistake for a disease if you didn't know better. There must be more to popularity than just cuteness.
- nibs 11y agoI think you could shorthand cuteness to what it causes, which is joy. And whales cause joy when you watch them because of their unique size (large) and temperament. So whales get love where poisonous frogs with giant eyes might not.
- eru 11y agoAnd frogs are still on the charismatic end of the spectrum, compared to mites and insects.
- munificent 11y agoWhales: * Sing songs to each other * Are graceful, gentle giants * Most are herbivores so don't kill other cute stuff * Are famously intelligent * Raise their young, live in groups, and communicate socially They may not be cute, but they have a lot of appealing characteristics and few unappealing ones. The bumps are a little funny looking, but they just make whales look like giant pickles to me.
- douche 11y agoProbably the most charismatic of the whales, of Free Willy and Seaworld fame, the Orca, is kind of an asshole and kills sharks and seals for fun, stunning and tossing them back and forth like a hacky-sack[2]. [1] http://www.tvthrong.co.uk/2009/10/nature-shock-series-premiere-the-whale-that-ate-the-great-white/ http://www.tvthrong.co.uk/2009/10/nature-shock-series-premie... [2] https://youtu.be/TuUFjvBnu9g?t=70 https://youtu.be/TuUFjvBnu9g?t=70
- munificent 11y agoYeah, orcas are bastards. But they look like cuddly sea pandas!
- marcosdumay 11y agoI do agree. But I'd like to point out that there are very few animals with bigger eye/head ratio than spiders.
- mrob 11y agoI think most spiders are not usually considered cute, but I've heard many people call jumping spiders cute. eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider#/media/File:Jumping_spider_eyes_1.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider#/media/File:Jum...
- gozur88 11y agoPart of it is just visibility. You can't miss a whale if you're near one. If you live on the coasts you would probably miss them if they were gone, in the sense that you'd tell your grandkids about them. But an endangered species of butterfly that, to non-entomologists, is indistinguishable from more common species is really going to be difficult to get people excited about.