Religious doctrine aside. If you could choose any animal to come back as what would it be and why?
I’d come back as another human. This time a female, so I could experience life from both sides.
If it had to be an animal… I don’t know, a dolphin or a fox maybe. I know, big surprise.
I assume I keep all my previous memories?
Tyrannosaurus. So everyone would be all: “HOLY SHIT, IT’S A TYRANNOSAURUS!!!”
I’d come back as an orca. Smart, social, playful and capable of taking out adult sperm whales and great white sharks—who wouldn’t want to be one of them? Plus, I’m rather fond of sashimi.
But, I’d only eat the ugly sea creatures no one cares about, like squid and toad fish, not the cute ones. In my spare time, I’d rescue baby seals*. I’d want to be known as a Kindly Whale, among Killers. 
*I recall video showing a pair of orcas (obviously not hungry at the time) nuzzle a baby seal back onto an ice sheet to keep it from drowning.
My first thought was to say George “the animal” Steele but that would really date me. So I think I’ll go dolphin. Fun, well-loved, and not afraid of much in the water other than man and his implements.
Hummingbird. Can’t think of a reason I wouldn’t totally enjoy being a hummingbird. Or maybe an Eagle or other large raptor.
A lion…along with the other felines, the most perfect creatures on earth.
I would like to come back as the young offspring of some northern wilderness creature, I’d have to think about which one …
I’d come back as a butterfly, because nobody ever suspects the butterfly.
Do you get to keep your human memories or personality? I always thought that reincarnation starting with a completely blank slate each time was kind of pointless.
Assuming you do, my picks:
Arctic Fox, interesting creatures, clever, aesthetically pleasing, and pretty hardcore, they don’t even start to shiver until it gets to -50 celcius.
I’d leave gender up to the cosmic lottery, though being the opposite sex would be interesting.
But if there isn’t much prey about being an Arctic Fox could be pretty tough, I recall watching a documentary that showed some sort of bird of prey in Africa that lived beside a massive lake and spent a few minutes every day just dropping out of a tree and casually grabbing a fish from the lake, the rest of the day was just leisure time.
Or to have a go at something really different from human I think I’d give being a snake a try, but it would have to be a big constrictor like a python or boa.
On a sidenote, if a person reincarnated as an animal did retain their human memories and personalities would they be able to communicate with humanity to let them know what happened? I started a thread on this subject a while ago and it had some interesting replies.
Sure, just scratch writing into the dirt with your paw.
I think the catch in that thread was that while you had your memories you weren’t actually any smarter than the animal you were reincarnated as, so had a basic at best grasp of human language. But I don’t want to derail tafowler87’s thread.
I’d definitely be good as hummingbird then. Not one damn difference. 
Eagle. For the view!
I’d just start hiss-whispering. Then, when someone bent down to hear me better, I’d bite off his nose and scamper off.
Eagle, so I could fly.
Maybe a hedgehog. Nice life, snerfling around in the garden, eating bugs & such, rolling up in a ball when needed. Very hobbit-ish.
Or, failing that, a corbid of some sort. Smart, community-oriented, able to fly, playful, sarcastic as all get-out. What’s not to like?
Cheetah - oh, to be able to run so fast! Plus they’re gorgeous cats!
Ebola virus…'cause why not?
Honeypot ant would be a pretty sweet gig to hang on to.
