[QUOTE=Dooku]
I recently moved to Portland. First order of business was to check out a local golf course. I had never seen, nor heard, of this animal before in my entire life until I laid eyes on about five of them, all wet and squawky, lurking around my ball.
I’m sure all the other golfers enjoyed me running directly across three fairways shrieking like a toddler in order to get away from them.
[/QUOTE]
Heh–I was making a late night delivery to an auto plant in Eugene that has protected wetlands on its property, and a couple of those fat bastards walked across the road in my headlights. I was all “WTF?!” and the security guard just laughed at me and said “those are the SMALL ones!” Dayum, I’ve seen smaller cocker spaniels! They don’t really squick me, though, since I know they aren’t really giant rats–rats only bother me when they’re either cornered and looking to bite or stuck by the ass to a glue trap at 0300 with my fat lazy cat looking on at me and the broom action, with the squeaking and the pooping…
Moles! They have flipper-like feet, but live in dirt. It’s like they’re swimming through the ground. Creepy. I hate them, and I will squeal if I see one.
Armadillos. The bastards can have leprosy, they dig holes in the yard and no matter how many I shoot, another pack moves in. They will also dig burrows in the middle of grassy fields, and thus are a danger to horse and rider, if the burrow mouth is covered with grass and isn’t visible.
Wish they’d all get leprosy and die at once!
[QUOTE=Anaamika]
Oh, animals. Not centipedes or silverfish then. Um…I don’t really like monkeys either, but they don’t squick me out. I love snakes, so that’s out. Hmm.
Other than monkeys, I can’t think off-hand of anything that really turns me off. I’m sure I will though.
[/QUOTE]
Umm…Anaamika, sweetness…centipedes and silverfish ARE animals…
Me…snakes in the wild…snakes in the zoo or (if there is such a thing) tamed snake don’t squeek me but golly am I wary in the woods of southern Illinois…
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle]
I was hoping someone would say cats! I have heard of people who are scared of cats, but never had an opportunity to ask why. Are you actually scared or disgusted by cats, the way I am about spiders?
[/QUOTE]
I don’t like cats. I think it’s because I’m vaguely intimidated by them. I’m somewhat squicked by those giant, staring eyes. They always have a ominously omnipotent look to me, even if the cat is very friendly. (I understand why the ancient Egyptians thought they could slip back and forth between earth and the afterlife.)
Part of me thinks a cat is never fully “tame.” A lion lurks within that little body, a merciless predator with a keen mind and sharp claws. They’re little ninja assasins with a slinky, deadly grace which is vaguely snake-like.
I’ve heard it said that they don’t love the people who keep them-- they merely tolerate their existance in exchange for food. I don’t want any furry overlord. Give me a stupid-looking, friendly dog any day!
Birds! They have bobby little heads and they dive at things! Nope, do not like birds.
They’re okay from a distance, like from behind my window, but I don’t care about looking at them. Like say my daughter would say “Oooh look at that pretty jaybird out there.” Meh. It’s a bobby headed attack animal. Shooo!
And they carry diseases, just like all the rest of the animals, but they’re BOBBY HEADED! And they DIVE!
I am not fond of cockroaches either, although I don’t think that’s such an odd thing. But my reason is this: They stare. We’ve had a few in this apartment, and I always look up to find them staring at me from the top of the entertainment center. And they get into my computer. That is no good at all. But at least, as far as I can tell from a distance, they do not have bobby heads, and so far I haven’t witnessed any diving.
[QUOTE=Lissa]
I’ve heard it said that they don’t love the people who keep them-- they merely tolerate their existance in exchange for food. I don’t want any furry overlord. Give me a stupid-looking, friendly dog any day!
[/QUOTE]
I remember hearing somewhere that if you have a cat and you die, the minute you’re toast, they consider you chow. A dog on the other hand, won’t eat its dead master until it’s starving to death.
I also hate spiders. I don’t know about your region, but around here we’ve had a freakin’ plague of spiders. The webs are everywhere, just waiting to be walked into so you can do the “AGH OMG THER’S SPIDERR AL OBER ME!!!1” dance.
[/QUOTE]
Sounds like my idea of heaven. I used to be an arachnophobe, so started to study the little beggars when it got out of hand and overdid the cure. I am now obsessed by them. They are incredible!
I adore all dogs except slobbering ones. They freak me out. Why do people want to keep them as pets?
Probably because I saw “Holy Grail” too young and see killer rabbits instead of cute bunny-wunnies. Still, rabbits can look cute from far away, but try to pick them up and hold them and they can turn vicious. Their eyes are what freak me out, they kind of have that glassy look…ick!!!
I might have also been traumatized by “Night of the Lepus”… :eek:
Why has nobody mentioned Opossums? Red lips and eyes set against their deathly white/gray fur and skin. Evil night crawlers who consume the dead. At night you can hear their unearthly chant, ‘Brains! Brains!’
Damn it! I read through the whole thread of wussy people who are scared of Curious George and kitty cats to mention possums, and on the second page you beat me to it! Those things are seriously nasty - too many teeth and not enough hair. Don’t drag up some cute picture of babies hanging by their naked tails or something - this is how you mostly see them. Well, that or dead by the road - a possum could get hit by a parked car.
Just out fishing, minding your own business, and you get one of those as a bonus. Like this.
Fucking leeches with teeth.
Hate geese and wild turkeys as well. Never met one I didn’t want to hit over the head with a shovel. I think I was traumatized as a child by one, no other explanation.
[QUOTE=Rushgeekgirl]
Birds! They have bobby little heads and they dive at things! Nope, do not like birds.
They’re okay from a distance, like from behind my window, but I don’t care about looking at them. Like say my daughter would say “Oooh look at that pretty jaybird out there.” Meh. It’s a bobby headed attack animal. Shooo!
And they carry diseases, just like all the rest of the animals, but they’re BOBBY HEADED! And they DIVE!
[/QUOTE]
Thank you! Birds are evil and creepy. And the bigger they are, the eviler and creepier.
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
Why has nobody mentioned Opossums? Red lips and eyes set against their deathly white/gray fur and skin. Evil night crawlers who consume the dead. At night you can hear their unearthly chant, ‘Brains! Brains!’
[/QUOTE]
Ever seen one of them walking during the day? I saw one in the alley behind my house. It was staggering and seemed disorientated, shuffling along with a weird rolling gait. It really was hideously zombie-like. I was certain it had to be rabid but my grandmother says that’s how they always are.
I’ll jump on the ape bandwagon (chimpanzees are the worst, with their human-ish eyes with black all around the irises instead of white - unholy spawn - monkeys are alright, though), and add beavers and gophers (Richardson ground squirrels to all you nit-pickers). Beavers creep me out because of being chased by one once (if you’ve never been chased by a 60 pound rodent, I don’t recommend it), and gophers because they are all plotting to kill every other animal that walks on the prairies. Look in the eyes - that’s where the crazy is.
