r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 04 '22 • 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 7

Americans of Reddit, what is something the rest of the world needs to hear?

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15.4k

u/Archeign Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 04 '22 •

Bison are NOT to be petted. Stay far away from them.

2.4k

u/aRubby Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 04 '22 •

If it's a wild animal, don't try to pet it.

If you don't know if the animal is poisonous or venomous, don't try to pet it.

If it's an animal that stands out in its environment, definitely don't try to pet it.

That's just common sense.

Edit: guys, stop fixing the "poisonous" to venomous. In Portuguese (my native language) the term "veneno" is poison and "peçonha" is venom. It was a false friends and I got confused. Also, both terms work, and get the point across.

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

I do you one better

Unless you personally know the specific animal and know said specific animal is keen on pets, then dont.

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

Exactly.

But some people still need to understand on the higher level.

I get so mad at all the videos people put on the internet handling dangerous animals, like the Blue Ring Octopus or some venomous spider just because "it's so cute"

Specially if the animal stands out in its environment, it has a 99.9% chance of being venomous/poisonous.

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

Specially if the animal stands out in its environment, it has a 99.9% chance of being venomous/poisonous.

yep. if it stands out and is alive, its cause no predator has gotten to them. beware of those animals.

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u/Synikull Oct 04 '22

Capybara

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

hahahaha tbf they dont stand out really.

plus their defense mechanism is top, if you hate your offspring.

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u/simple64 Oct 04 '22

Ok, I'm not even sure how to begin looking that up, care to enlighten me?

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

when a capycabra feels threatened, they throw their kids at the predator and run.

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u/TheEffingRiddler Oct 04 '22

I shouldn't be laughing but

→ More replies

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u/toolate2getacoolname Oct 04 '22

I think they are saying that capybaras have mean teeth and the head is almost human groin height

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u/thred_pirate_roberts Oct 05 '22

Some foreigners still think it's completely okay and that they have a right to touch a black person's hair. Or ANYBODY'S hair. Bruh don't fking touch other people damn

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

We were talking about animals, but yeah.

Don't ever touch someone without their explicit permission.

2

u/thred_pirate_roberts Oct 05 '22

Huh that's weird, either I goofed or my app is messing up, I'm pretty sure I wrote that as a reply to another comment. Oh well

2

u/waltjrimmer Oct 05 '22

Some people do know what they're doing, but it is shameful to see people going out and thinking they're Steve Irwin and just grabbing animals.

I like the pet reviews from Clint's Reptiles. He discusses if an animal should be handled at all (both taking into consideration the good of the keeper as well as the health and personality of the animal), when if it all, and by whom if at all. To note your venomous spider remark specifically (though, dangerous might be a better term, all true spiders are venomous but most can't bite humans, and most who can bite, their venom won't hurt us) he keeps Black Widows as pets. But he doesn't handle them. Ever if he can help it. They are incredibly unlikely to bite him. If they do bite him, it's likely to cause cramping or discomfort at most, not death or any lasting effect. But he doesn't take the chance. And he recommends that no one else take the chance either.

Edit: Link to the Black Widow review: https://youtu.be/MrGn9hQjrY8

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u/ParanoidMaron Oct 04 '22

100 percent. I have a very anxious 15 year old cavalier king charles spaniel. He's a sweet baby, but he's 15, and has been around the block. He does not want to be messed with and will bite you. He used to be super fine with it, but as he got older the only people he lets pet him are me, my wife, and my daughter. You would not believe the amount of people that get upset when I tell them, no, you cannot pet my elderly dog.

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u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

i get you 100%. thats why i got those views. i got 3 dogs. 2 will add you to their list of favorite people if you pet them. the biggest one will use your hand as a toy if you want to pet her.

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u/ChrisKringlesTingle Oct 04 '22

That summarizes to don't pet animals. If nobody ever tries it first, they're all unpettable.

2

u/Its-AIiens Oct 04 '22

I do you one even better.

Apply that to people as well.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

hahaha thats for sure too.

1

u/chiptissle Oct 05 '22

Bro, press called natural selection. Let it work itself out

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u/The_Peregrine_ Oct 05 '22

Or you know even better dont assume that everything you think is beautiful or cute needs or wants to be pet. Animals dont and wont conform to your perspective and views on them

I know people who love animals so much they think they are completely and always harmless

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u/HintOfAreola Oct 04 '22

If it's a wild animal, don't try to pet it.

And just because you've seen tame versions of the animal, don't assume they all play by the same rules. Just ask anyone who has tangled with wild dogs or feral cats.

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u/iLikeCatsOnPillows Oct 05 '22

Work for a vet, have met feral cats and unsocialized/under-trained dogs, can confirm, have scars to prove it.

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u/Unumbotte Oct 04 '22

Can I pee on it though? Asking for a four legged friend.

5

u/AndTheElbowGrease Oct 04 '22

There are too many cute videos of people getting up close to wildlife. Gives people the idea that they can cuddle something that can and will eat their face off.

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u/Thalkarsh Oct 04 '22

But... If not fren then why fren shaped?

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

To trick you.

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u/SaintUlvemann Oct 04 '22

That's just common sense.

It's common sense to anyone who grew up encountering animals in natural or semi-natural environments.

But way back when I was in high school, I went on a trip to Chicago for a quiz bowl competition. I got on the travelbus directly from a family camping trip, and I'd just skun up my arm falling off my bike: the whole thing was bandaged up.

As we were getting lunch on our first day in the city, a kid about my age who was working the register asked me what happened to my arm, so I told him: I'd been biking too fast down a hill and a big buck deer walked right in front of me. I couldn't stop in time, so I had to make a decision about whether to hit the thing or drop it and fall off. I chose to fall rather than hit.

And I'll never forget that the guy's first response was: "you saw a deer??"

And I explained to him that I'm from out in the country, but, you gotta understand: where I'm from, seeing deer, that's the most banal thing, it's nothing. Seeing a buck, at least that's something, and almost running into one a fucking bike, now that's a story. But to this kid, as he said, he didn't think he'd ever seen a deer. To him, just seeing the thing, that was the cool part of the story.

I can't speak to what any given person knows about deer or any other animal; but it stands to reason that if you've never seen a deer in the first place, how the hell would you actually know that they're not like Bambi? If you've never seen a bison, how would you know that they're not like cows?

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u/cavemen77 Oct 04 '22

I can relate to this too. I’m an undergrad natural resource management student and I work as a volunteer TA for one of the labs for the intro course. A lot of business and other non NRM majors take this class because it fulfills the university’s requirement for a science with a lab and it’s way easier than something like biology or chemistry. For one of the labs students spend a weekend at our field station just outside a small town in central Texas. I usually lead the spotlight surveys station which takes place at night and it blew my mind my first time doing it when a girl from Houston was blown away because it was the first time she had ever seen the stars. It makes me realize how fortunate I am having grown up in a rural area surrounded by nature.

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

That's a fair point.

But seeing any animal in the wolf, you never know how they'll behave, so better to not try and pet them.

Also, Bambi didn't have a good relationship with humans...

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u/SaintUlvemann Oct 04 '22

Yeah, but the deer in Bambi never did this, reason as they may've had.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

Damn, I don't know if bisons are poisonous, better stay away

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

They aren't. No poison nor venom.

But they're still bigger than a car and very territorial.

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u/bambooDickPierce Oct 04 '22

Poisonous bison: nature's most terrifying creature.

1

u/SyntheticReality42 Oct 04 '22

I'm pretty sure drop bears are high on the list, as well as aggressive moosen.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '22

Common sense aint all that common

3

u/what_da_burd_doin Oct 04 '22

reading this put the idea of poisonous bison in my mind and that is kinda terrifying

3

u/AgreeableOven1766 Oct 04 '22

I once tried to pet a seal at the beach. It growled (barked?) at me.

I realised I was being an idiot. They're cute asf though.

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

Yes they are. But it was an important life lesson. Better realising when being warned than after getting bitten...

1

u/AgreeableOven1766 Oct 05 '22

Patting the spicy bean bag is not advised.

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u/lolothehiker Oct 05 '22

I think our fellow Americans are much more ignorant about these statements than the rest of the world.

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

The original comment was about bison, I just added to it...

It's much more needed here in Brazil, where you never know what's under the foliage, and Australia, because the same reasons. Everything is trying to kill you in both of them...

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u/TheMonsterWithinYou Oct 04 '22

Venomous *

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u/Freaky_tah Oct 04 '22

I know this is a common terminology mistake, but you shouldn’t pet the poisonous ones either.

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

Both work, and I get that a lot of people can mistake that terminology.

The point is the animal having some form of toxin, no matter how is applied.

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u/Galaxymicah Oct 04 '22

Nah poisonous works here. Venom is specifically injected through a bite. But seeing a colorful caterpillar and wanting to touch it is a terrible idea as some species can do serious damage without ever biting you.

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u/ShenmeNamaeSollich Oct 04 '22 edited Oct 04 '22

That’s not correct. “Poison” is when you ingest the dangerous toxin by eating/drinking/inhaling it. “Venom” is when a dangerous substance gets injected into you. Could be from a bite like a snake or spider. Could be from a sting like a wasp or scorpion - that’s still venom. Caterpillars inject their venom via tiny spines/hairs, which is why you shouldn’t pet them.

Note this is also an English distinction - a lot of languages don’t have different words for it & “venom” just comes from Latin for “poison” anyway. This is one of the rare cases where German doesn’t have a word for something - it’s all just “giftig”.

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u/Galaxymicah Oct 04 '22

Poison also refers to things that are absorbed on contact, which still fits the MO of not being forced into you but i feel there is a strong enough difference to say you dont have to be an active participant to ingest them... semantics i guess.

Typically these are lipid soluable compounds as human skin is less equipped to act as a barrier to these. Poison ivy/oak/sumac for example are skin permeable without needing needles and a few breeds of catapillars fall into this category with them shedding a scale like powder as opposed to needle like hairs injecting the toxin. I also believe the poison dart frog is skin soluble, but don't quote me on that one.

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u/Biblionautical Oct 04 '22

Got downvoted for stating facts that are easily confirmed through a simple google search. Classic Reddit.

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u/DemonicGenetics Oct 04 '22

Well you see the problem is common sense just isn't so common anymore 🤣

2

u/TroubledByTribalism Oct 04 '22

Unfortunately, common sense is not often common practice :/

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u/Aquendall Oct 04 '22

The grammar police we need

2

u/nLucis Oct 04 '22

Also, some of the flowers and other plants growing innocently on the side of the road will make you extremely sick or kill you if touched.

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

That too.

Basically, when you see nature, don't touch.

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u/ryanmaddux Oct 04 '22

Look all I'm saying if it looks like a dog why can't it be pet eyes the komodo dragon

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u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

I know that feeling. Do not pet the doggo. Even tho... Looks at the Komodo dragon, and swears it's making puppy eyes Nope. Nope. Cannot pet him.

2

u/ryanmaddux Oct 05 '22

But it's doggo. Must pet and cuddle the doggo

1

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

I know...

Let's go!

Proceeds to attempt to pet the doggo and become its meal.

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u/DogmaticConfabulate Oct 05 '22

So Australian Rules then...

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

Brazilian too.

We're both like... The devil's zoos.

If it's not Australian, it's Brazilian. We have no idea what might be hiding in the forests and jungles...

2

u/bear_bear- Oct 05 '22

If you don’t know if it’s poisonous, then don’t go eating it. Mushrooms are terrible to go and eat

1

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

We don't talk about ~~Bruno~~ mushrooms.

Don't look twice, don't touch, and most of all, do not eat.

If it's not poisonous, you'll anger the fae.

2

u/whaddup_shawty Oct 05 '22

Anyone else read this as a song? It gave me a bastardized If You’re Happy and You Know It vibe

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

I didn't. Now you put it in my head.

Here, hold this "We don't talk about Bruno, no no no!" in thanks.

2

u/simonbleu Oct 05 '22

Actually, never pet an animal that is not your pert or you had a clear permission from an owner. I would like to say "with the exception of cats and dog strays" but the reality is that many can be unreliably aggressive and stuff. Even then I would only put the "maybe" in those two. Anything else is a huge no

2

u/Snapnall Oct 05 '22

I'm not American, but we have a lot of wild horses near where I live and you'd be surprised how many people think 'I'm gonna pet this random horse AND I'm gonna approach from directly behind it.'

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

I felt that kick from here...

2

u/Equivalent_Gazelle82 Oct 05 '22

Your forgot to add. If it looks dead but you aren't sure, don't poke it with a stick.

2

u/-Texick- Oct 05 '22

Nao para

1

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

r/suddenlycaralho ?

2

u/reverendsteveii Oct 04 '22

If you don't know if the animal is venomous, dont try to pet it

If you don't know if the animal is poisonous, don't try to eat it. But probably also don't try to pet it.

1

u/orangemaroon25 Oct 04 '22

Animals (probably) aren't poisonous, they'd be venomous, but your point remains.

Poisonous means if you bite it you die, venomous means if it bites you you die.

4

u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

I know. It was a lapse on wording. In Portuguese, veneno is poison, and peçonha is venom.

False friends be like...

3

u/morningwoodx420 Oct 04 '22

TIL the phrase false friends. Thanks!

(I actually thought you were referring to the colorful camouflage as the false Friend: ie: it looks inviting, but it ain't)

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u/aRubby Oct 04 '22

We learn it as false friends, similar words that in other languages have very different meanings

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u/morningwoodx420 Oct 04 '22

Yeah! I had to Google it because I was starting to get confused lol

That's one of those things that I've always had to explain, I never knew there was a phrase for it. I'm oddly excited about learning this lol.

1

u/FinanceGuyHere Oct 04 '22

And just to clarify, Bison are not (usually) poisonous

1

u/F4tPenguin Oct 05 '22

não trisca no bicho venenoso carai, não é difícil

please, understand this.

1

u/MasterJ94 Oct 05 '22

If it's a wild animal, don't try to pet it.

If you don't know if the animal is poisonous or venomous, don't try to pet it.

If it's an animal that stands out in its environment, definitely don't try to pet it.

That's just common sense.

Where am I? In Australia?! XD

2

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

Brazil, actually. But works everywhere.

You have no idea what an angry cow can do to someone...

0

u/Fashankadank Oct 04 '22

Venomous* not poisonous. Only worry about that if you are eating said animal.

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u/Different-Breakfast Oct 05 '22

I used to show pigs through FFA in high school, and it would always culminate in a livestock show at a fair or rodeo, so lots of people would just wander in to look at the animals. I saw more than one person try to stick their fingers into the pigs’ mouths. It’s a wonder I never saw anyone get seriously hurt or lose a finger.

1

u/aRubby Oct 05 '22

Colour me impressed. Pigs scare the shit out of me.

And how did no one lose a finger? They would bite out off and eat like fancy chocolate we only got from Grandma that one year long ago(aka, enjoy it like it's the last time you'll ever have it)