# Seagulls in 'Finding Nemo' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107 "2004-01-26T04:32:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/1 "2004-01-26T04:32:34Z")
Are the seagulls in Finding Nemo saying ‘mate’ (as I think) or ‘mine’ (as my girlfriend thinks)? Is there anyway I can prove this as we are having a minor dispute and she asked me to find out for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/2 "2004-01-26T04:35:48Z")
It’s “mine”. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/3 "2004-01-26T04:36:10Z")
They are saying, “Mine?” The purpose is to indicate that they are dim-witted scavengers that can think of nothing more than food. If you are in doubt, turn on the English subtitles on the DVD. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/4 "2004-01-26T05:00:33Z")
Thanks, I don’t have the DVD (nor will I probabley ever have it) but i’ll take your word for it. We both figured that each explanation was reasonable, ‘mine’, because they always want stuff and they are greedy or ‘mate’ because they are Australian and the way they say mine and mate is quite similar in OZ ie. they kind of say ‘mite’ like that. Well thanks guys… ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/5 "2004-01-26T05:33:54Z")
On the DVD there’s a cute little bit where they show the dubs of the seagulls into other languages. It’s definitely “Mine?” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/6 "2004-01-26T05:37:46Z")
As long as there’s a Nemo thread open, what was the deal with the crabs and the bubbles? Do crabs like bubbles? ---
**Author:** ![Poetgrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@Poetgrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poetgrrl)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/7 "2004-01-26T06:05:30Z")
I believe the crabs are scavenging particles of food out of the leaks in the sewer pipe (eewww!). I thought they were pretty funny “EEEY! EEEY! EEY!” waving their little claws about in a hostile manner 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/8 "2004-01-26T06:08:10Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > As long as there’s a Nemo thread open, what was the deal with the crabs and the bubbles? Do crabs like bubbles? I don’t think it was the bubbles they were after. More like, they were after the, erm, “stuff” that filtered out of the undersea sewer pipe. Crabs don’t izzakly gots discriminatin’ palates. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/9 "2004-01-26T06:48:47Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > I don’t think it was the bubbles they were after. More like, they were after the, erm, “stuff” that filtered out of the undersea sewer pipe. Crabs don’t izzakly gots discriminatin’ palates. I figured as much, too, but the whole “sweet nectar of life” thing made me wonder if I was missing something. One man’s sewage, I guess… (yuck). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/10 "2004-01-26T13:35:52Z")
It’s “mine.” No other word could better discribe what a seagull (“flying rat of the sea”) would be saying. BTW, the design of the seagulls was cribbed from the penguin in “The Wrong Trousers.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/11 "2004-01-26T13:41:34Z")
I went to the video shop today and noticed that there were about 20 copies of _Freaky Friday_ out but only about 5 copies of _Finding Nemo_ and it’s fresh out this week. Is it a similar rental dud elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/12 "2004-01-26T13:58:57Z")
Don’t forget that most of us with small children were absolutely _hammered_ into buying it when it came available a while back. Hence, no need to rent. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/13 "2004-01-26T14:03:24Z")
I’m not sur it’s on sale here yet. Usually the video shops get a head start. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/14 "2004-01-26T14:41:24Z")
I have a cousin that is 15. She told me that in her school, particullary at lunch, if one person say ‘Mine’ that the rest of the room would start in with ‘Mine’ ‘Mine’ ‘Mine’. I bet the teachers got sick of that one really quickly. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/15 "2004-01-26T14:45:09Z")
**don’t ask** - It went on sale in Australia on January 16. It’s doing pretty well at my store, I think. Don’t know about the rental situation. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/16 "2004-01-27T00:59:15Z")
In our house, Ardred and I’s favorite thing is to shout “MINE! MINE!” at every opportunity and raise our arms and “hey! hey!”, mostly at the cats and dog. We’re geeks, though. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/17 "2004-01-27T01:10:49Z")
In our house, Ardred and I’s favorite thing is to shout “MINE! MINE!” at every opportunity and raise our arms and “hey! hey!”, mostly at the cats and dog. We’re geeks, though. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/18 "2004-01-27T17:07:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > BTW, the design of the seagulls was cribbed from the penguin in “The Wrong Trousers.” According to an online chat with _Nemo’s_ director (and the voice of Crush), Andrew Stanton, the similarity to Feathers McGraw is a coincidence. “We just wanted to make the birds look as stupid as possible. But I don’t mind being compared to such a great character,” says he. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/19 "2004-01-27T20:38:53Z")
As anyone who has even lived on a seagull-infested coastline can tell you, “mine” is an entirely appropriate translation for their obnoxious noises. I lived in northern California when I was in junior high. Our school allowed us to eat our lunches outside the cafeteria, but very few people did – because of the seagulls. I have witnessed these “rats with wings” grabbing food from off of the picnic table while the hapless diner tries vainly to wave them away. I even watched as a bird snatched a morsel off of some kid’s fork as he raised it to his mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107/20 "2004-01-27T21:46:09Z")
Ahh! I’d wondered who this “Mike” fellow was that the seagulls kept going on about. It makes a lot more sense now. Daniel [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-in-finding-nemo/226107.md?page=2)