this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
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My go is for the Buzzard, it would sure as hell make desert trips and heat waves seem a lot less worrying and paranoiac.

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[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 2 points 22 hours ago

Elephants. I feel like they just eat to many leaves and its an inefficient build. They are like an American F150

They walk around the jungle stomping on things and eating a lot. They can squirt water from their trunk and what else? I like em but dont get the point of them.

[–] Foreigner@lemmy.world 90 points 5 days ago (5 children)

The only animal I think is truly worth eradicating is the bedbug.

Every other insect from the mosquito, to the tick is an incredibly important source of food (especially protein) for other animals, especially in places with very harsh conditions where other insects struggle to survive. I used to hate and fear insects but now I know they all have their place.

All, except the bedbug. These things are specifically designed to hunt us and pretty much only us. They have precious few predators, much less predators that rely on their existence. They deserve obliteration.

[–] JapaneseJudas@fedinsfw.app 14 points 5 days ago (1 children)

True, but from what I've read, virtually all mosquitoes don't bite people. You can wipe out the 1% or less of the ones that do without significant environmental impact since the things that eat mosquitoes aren't choosy about which ones so you really are just reducing their available food by like 1%, and even some of that will probably be backfilled by other species of mosquitoes since the ones that bite people don't only bite people.

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[–] BryyM@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

I like your answer as its way more thought through than what most people tend to answer when questions like this is asked, like I wish seagulls would just die out as the niche they have is doing what other species are doing in an obnoxious way. I do recognise that this would likely have ramifications that I don't know about though, so I wouldn't want resources used to actively eradicate them.

The Tick is not a source of food, he is a source of JUSTICE

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[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 53 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Mosquitos. Dad died from a bite, got West Nile virus as a result of it. I’d give anything to have him back.

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[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Here's the answer I was looking for! I'm surprised I had to scroll so far to reach it. We are the source of most of what's wrong with the world so I'm pretty sure the rest of the animals would vote us off the island too.

[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 30 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Sorry that's fucking gross. OP wants to walk through a world of rotting meat and unscavenged carcasses. Seriously. Read up on what happened to vultures in India when they gave all their cattle Diclofenac.

Cultures might not be pretty but they are fucking awesome and entirely necessary. Why peeps gotta hate on the cleaning staff I don't know.

[–] oopsgodisdeadmybad@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 days ago

I agree, but got different reasons.

OP went with "less paranoic" as their barrier of choice, whereas the "tick" and "mosquito" choices are actual posts that are dangerous.

Personally I fall in the mosquito camp. I don't know if anything depending on them specifically. And even if there is, I'm ok with sacrificing them too.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 15 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths

Also vultures are beautiful.

My sweet girl Zsa Zsa.

And there is the King Vulture.

Bearded Vulture

Egyptian Vulture

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 4 points 4 days ago

Yeah, I think culturally we just don't like things that remind us of dead things, and if a lot of scavengers are around, it means something's dead or about to be.

I'm glad people are coming around to realizing how essential (and honestly really cool) they are, as much as I'd never wanna kiss or even smell one. 😉

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

King Vulture looks like a kid coloured it, just pure chaos.

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[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Bearded vultures swallow bones, often shattered after they drop them onto rocks from great heights, but sometimes whole. They are so badass.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Very awesome! Some quick reading says the bones are actually their primary diet. They'd often rather have the bones than the meat. Talk about a biological niche.

And it can chomp down some huge looking bones!

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 4 points 4 days ago
[–] UncleArthur@lemmy.world 33 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Mosquitoes. If I'm allowed, midges too.

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[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 27 points 5 days ago
[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 19 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh no, vultures are great.

For me—probably ticks.

[–] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Was looking for this before commenting. They are terrible creatures full of dissease. I'd pick them to be banished to hell instantly.

Then I could finally got hammocking in shorts without a full body inspection every evening.

[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 4 points 5 days ago

If you scroll down a lot of ppl agree with us. Horrible little things. I'm in the midlantic and this year, everyone I know who’s gone camping or hiking has come home with at least one tick. Every. Single. Time.

[–] Kennystillalive@feddit.org 27 points 5 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 16 points 5 days ago
[–] MolochHorridus@piefed.social 23 points 5 days ago

Humans. We destroy everything.

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 5 days ago

What is worrying about a buzzard? Are you a small rodent?

[–] gasgiant@lemmy.ml 16 points 5 days ago

Don't want to get rid of a good scavenger like the buzzard. They really help the ecosystem. Particularly with population and disease control.

[–] Furbag@pawb.social 9 points 5 days ago

Fuck ticks.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)
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[–] tigermountain@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago
[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

All I see here are a bunch of cowards, just look at all the top posts here, what do they have in common? Bedbugs, ticks, mosquitos... all parasites that target humans. That's too easy, anyone can get behind that.

But I'm actually willing to step out on a limb and say something. Manatees. What have manatees done for me lately? Laying about... Aggressively loitering in our estuaries! Get a job you lazy sea cows. You think kelp grows on trees? They're a drain on the global economy and a blubberous aquatic menace! Let's get rid of them!

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

Narwhals. Don't let them touch your balls.

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Ticks. One of the most dangerous animals in the world.

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[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

I love vultures so much! Nature's garbage crew.

I will have to go with palmetto bugs, sorry guys you freak me out so bad and I think there are other bugs that turn leaves into dirt without being nightmare fuel.

[–] SaorSol@startrek.website 12 points 5 days ago

Humans or at the very least Epstillians

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Ugh. Easy. The St Barnabus Mite (they call them Wringlers in the US, I think). Hate, hate, hate them. Nasty, relentless, ethereal, bitey little shitlords, and they're so resilient they turn up everywhere. They can fuck right off.

Edit: Holy shit, it worked!

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Carrion birds are extremely important to our ecosystems.

Edit: apparently "buzzard" in the US usually refers to vultures, which is what I was thinking of.

I wonder what the world would be like without humans?

Bigfoot, of course. This reign of terror must come to an end.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 9 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Possums, in NZ.

Here they are a scourge. They're introduced and outcompete or prey on native birds.

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[–] massive_bereavement@fedia.io 8 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Wait.. Buzzard as in buteo buteo? What did they do to you?

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[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 8 points 5 days ago

tapeworms and parasitic roundworms as a category

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago
[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

My go is for the Buzzard, it would sure as hell make desert trips and heat waves seem a lot less worrying and paranoiac.

I'm not sure I understand that one. What's the connection between buzzards and heat waves? Why do they make you worry? We have a ton of them in Germany, pretty cool birds and not dangerous unless you're a mouse.

I guess if I had to pick one, it would be ticks. But I'd rather not remove any, because whatever animal you remove may have devastating consequences on the entire ecosystem.

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

Screw worm and mosquito

[–] Tabooki2@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago
[–] Nuerion@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

def humans we suck

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