# What animal can rule the world better? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112 "2013-11-30T01:01:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![denfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@denfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/1 "2013-11-30T01:01:11Z")
Just based on their psychology, intelligence, behavior. Rule the world in a socially beneficial way, conscious of other species…smart, responsible, caring, good role models, able to coexist with species different from them and think of the bigger picture before themselves: keeping ecosystems and Mother Nature at large, alive and thriving. You know, not like those other guys that won’t be around much longer with their greed, war, overconsumption, environmental degradation, and reality TV. _What animal could do this better?_ ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/2 "2013-11-30T01:16:00Z")
**Moderator Action** This is more of a poll/opinion sort of thing than a factual question. Moving from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/3 "2013-11-30T01:19:01Z")
> [@denfrank](#): > > Just based on their psychology, intelligence, behavior. > Rule the world in a socially beneficial way, conscious of > other species…smart, responsible, caring, good role models, able to coexist with species different from them and think of the bigger picture before themselves: keeping ecosystems and Mother Nature at large, alive and thriving. None; other species simply lack the intelligence to even conceive of trying. And humans are actually quite nice compared to most species; we do plenty of damage because we are powerful and clever, because we are _good at it;_ not because we are _nastier_ than other species. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/4 "2013-11-30T01:22:19Z")
Dolphins. > [@Douglas Adams](#): > > For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/5 "2013-11-30T01:23:22Z")
Cats, of course. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/6 "2013-11-30T01:32:00Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Cats, of course. Pretty sure the OP _is_ a cat. The correct answer is “humans”, but the OP will never accept that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/7 "2013-11-30T01:57:04Z")
> [@denfrank](#): > > _What animal could do this better?_ None. Humans are by far the most altruistic animals ever to evolve. (Within a colony, worker ants ants and other social insects are more altruistic, but in these species colonies are better considered to be single superorganisms than the individual insects, and colonies compete with one another.) Our altruism sometimes not only extends to non-related individuals within our own species, but even to other species. Any other species would be far more selfish regarding their own interests versus that of other species. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/8 "2013-11-30T01:59:57Z")
I say we stick with the dolphins for the reasons mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/9 "2013-11-30T02:20:33Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I say we stick with the dolphins for the reasons mentioned above. You wouldn’t think so if you were a herring. The OP asks about a species better able to “rule the world.” Dolphins aren’t interested in ruling the world. Of course this makes their impact on the planet less than ours, but they aren’t exactly an answer to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/10 "2013-11-30T02:36:49Z")
Do humans really rule the world? I think we humans have largely agreed that dying from infections is bad, but that hasn’t stopped bacteria from killing scores of us with impunity. If we’re really in charge, then clearly bacteria is above the law. But look at it from their point of view: they’ve been around since the beginning, whereas us uppity multi-cellular lifeforms just suddenly waltzed in and are already claiming we own the place. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/11 "2013-11-30T03:03:16Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Dolphins. > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I say we stick with the dolphins for the reasons mentioned above. [Dolphins are assholes!](http://deepseanews.com/2013/02/10-reasons-why-dolphins-are-aholes/) Apart from humans, the only animals that give half a shit about any other species are dogs (who care about humans). I wouldn’t want them ruling the world, though. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/12 "2013-11-30T03:50:06Z")
What about a plant? I think the world would be a beautiful place if ruled by lily pads with human IQ. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/13 "2013-11-30T06:23:33Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > What about a plant? I think the world would be a beautiful place if ruled by lily pads with human IQ. Well, if we are making up creatures that do not exist I vote for unicorns. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/14 "2013-11-30T06:45:18Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > Well, if we are making up creatures that do not exist I vote for unicorns. Damn right unicorns should rule the world [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://i.imgur.com/rxHtFLq.jpg) > [@njtt](#): > > Apart from humans, the only animals that give half a shit about any other species are dogs (who care about humans). I wouldn’t want them ruling the world, though. It seems that quite a few domesticated species will exhibit that type of behavior not just toward humans but sometimes toward other species. Because of humans. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/15 "2013-11-30T07:08:15Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > What about a plant? I think the world would be a beautiful place if ruled by lily pads with human IQ. I think a lily pad with human-level IQ would very quickly go insane, because of its total inability to _do_ anything. Do you want to be ruled by insane plants?! Would you notice if you were? And how do you test a lily’s IQ anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/16 "2013-11-30T08:05:16Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > **I think a lily pad with human-level IQ would very quickly go insane, because of its total inability to _do_ anything.** Do you want to be ruled by insane plants?! That 500+ year-old clam must have been bored out of his skull! ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/17 "2013-11-30T08:05:43Z")
Obviously, the ones that are already ruling it. Go ants! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/18 "2013-11-30T09:19:48Z")
The problem with other animals is that when they start screwing up, they don’t have the brains to correct things. We have the brains, but can’t decide what needs to be fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/19 "2013-11-30T10:20:42Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > That 500+ year-old clam must have been bored out of his skull! No, he was proverbially happy, of course. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Snerky\_Snerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112/20 "2013-11-30T11:28:30Z")
Vulcans and panda bears. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-can-rule-the-world-better/675112.md?page=2)