this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
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My go is for the Buzzard, it would sure as hell make desert trips and heat waves seem a lot less worrying and paranoiac.

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[–] Foreigner@lemmy.world 48 points 1 month ago (5 children)

The only animal I think is truly worth eradicating is the bedbug.

Every other insect from the mosquito, to the tick is an incredibly important source of food (especially protein) for other animals, especially in places with very harsh conditions where other insects struggle to survive. I used to hate and fear insects but now I know they all have their place.

All, except the bedbug. These things are specifically designed to hunt us and pretty much only us. They have precious few predators, much less predators that rely on their existence. They deserve obliteration.

[–] JapaneseJudas@fedinsfw.app 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

True, but from what I've read, virtually all mosquitoes don't bite people. You can wipe out the 1% or less of the ones that do without significant environmental impact since the things that eat mosquitoes aren't choosy about which ones so you really are just reducing their available food by like 1%, and even some of that will probably be backfilled by other species of mosquitoes since the ones that bite people don't only bite people.

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[–] BryyM@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

I like your answer as its way more thought through than what most people tend to answer when questions like this is asked, like I wish seagulls would just die out as the niche they have is doing what other species are doing in an obnoxious way. I do recognise that this would likely have ramifications that I don't know about though, so I wouldn't want resources used to actively eradicate them.

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[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 28 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Mosquitos. Dad died from a bite, got West Nile virus as a result of it. I’d give anything to have him back.

[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 3 points 4 weeks ago

I'm so sorry for your loss. I agree, mosquitoes are what I would choose.

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[–] UncleArthur@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Mosquitoes. If I'm allowed, midges too.

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What are swallows etc going to eat?

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[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 17 points 1 month ago
[–] Kennystillalive@feddit.org 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] MolochHorridus@piefed.social 17 points 1 month ago

Humans. We destroy everything.

[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh no, vultures are great.

For me—probably ticks.

[–] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Was looking for this before commenting. They are terrible creatures full of dissease. I'd pick them to be banished to hell instantly.

Then I could finally got hammocking in shorts without a full body inspection every evening.

[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 3 points 4 weeks ago

If you scroll down a lot of ppl agree with us. Horrible little things. I'm in the midlantic and this year, everyone I know who’s gone camping or hiking has come home with at least one tick. Every. Single. Time.

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 15 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sorry that's fucking gross. OP wants to walk through a world of rotting meat and unscavenged carcasses. Seriously. Read up on what happened to vultures in India when they gave all their cattle Diclofenac.

Cultures might not be pretty but they are fucking awesome and entirely necessary. Why peeps gotta hate on the cleaning staff I don't know.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths

Also vultures are beautiful.

My sweet girl Zsa Zsa.

And there is the King Vulture.

Bearded Vulture

Egyptian Vulture

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

King Vulture looks like a kid coloured it, just pure chaos.

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[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 4 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Bearded vultures swallow bones, often shattered after they drop them onto rocks from great heights, but sometimes whole. They are so badass.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Very awesome! Some quick reading says the bones are actually their primary diet. They'd often rather have the bones than the meat. Talk about a biological niche.

And it can chomp down some huge looking bones!

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[–] oopsgodisdeadmybad@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 weeks ago

I agree, but got different reasons.

OP went with "less paranoic" as their barrier of choice, whereas the "tick" and "mosquito" choices are actual posts that are dangerous.

Personally I fall in the mosquito camp. I don't know if anything depending on them specifically. And even if there is, I'm ok with sacrificing them too.

[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 14 points 4 weeks ago
[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Ticks. One of the most dangerous animals in the world.

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[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] SwissArmyKazoo@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago

We're practically descendants from the simians so I think it's time to devolve back to where we were moulded from.

[–] SaorSol@startrek.website 9 points 1 month ago

Humans or at the very least Epstillians

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago

What is worrying about a buzzard? Are you a small rodent?

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

My go is for the Buzzard, it would sure as hell make desert trips and heat waves seem a lot less worrying and paranoiac.

I'm not sure I understand that one. What's the connection between buzzards and heat waves? Why do they make you worry? We have a ton of them in Germany, pretty cool birds and not dangerous unless you're a mouse.

I guess if I had to pick one, it would be ticks. But I'd rather not remove any, because whatever animal you remove may have devastating consequences on the entire ecosystem.

Bigfoot, of course. This reign of terror must come to an end.

[–] Furbag@pawb.social 6 points 4 weeks ago

Fuck ticks.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Possums, in NZ.

Here they are a scourge. They're introduced and outcompete or prey on native birds.

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[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 5 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Ugh. Easy. The St Barnabus Mite (they call them Wringlers in the US, I think). Hate, hate, hate them. Nasty, relentless, ethereal, bitey little shitlords, and they're so resilient they turn up everywhere. They can fuck right off.

Edit: Holy shit, it worked!

I wonder what the world would be like without humans?

[–] agentTeiko@piefed.social 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Humans and I'm not joking maybe Neanderthals would have coexisted with the planet better and we would not be going through the 6th Anthropocene mass extinction event.

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[–] gasgiant@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago

Don't want to get rid of a good scavenger like the buzzard. They really help the ecosystem. Particularly with population and disease control.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

I love vultures so much! Nature's garbage crew.

I will have to go with palmetto bugs, sorry guys you freak me out so bad and I think there are other bugs that turn leaves into dirt without being nightmare fuel.

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago

Why wish? It happens every day.

[–] massive_bereavement@fedia.io 5 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Wait.. Buzzard as in buteo buteo? What did they do to you?

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[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Screw worm and mosquito

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

The Orange Crybaby.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Emus. Stupid flightless birds.

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 5 points 1 month ago

Still bitter about losing that war?

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[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 4 points 1 month ago

tapeworms and parasitic roundworms as a category

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

Any of the scary parasites, like the guinea worm or those amoebas that eat your brain and kill you within a week.

[–] Nuerion@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

def humans we suck

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