YOUR QUESTION:
If you could have any rodent’s super-powers - which rodent would you choose?
For reference - here’s a HANDY LIST OF COMMON RODENTS
NAME TO CREDIT:
Bret
HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT:
Pretty self-explanatory. It’s not French or anything.
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Without looking at the list (or looking anything up)…
Bats can fly, which is awesome. But also a lot of work. Plus they have weak legs. Pinpoint echolocation is amazing, but I don’t know if it’s worth giving up most of my eyesight.
Capybaras are cool. And surprisingly cute for the world’s largest rodent. The Dread Pirate Roberts isn’t sure they exist. But I don’t know what powers they have.
Beavers can cut down trees with their teeth (all rodents have teeth that never stop growing, meaning they have to regularly gnaw on hard surfaces to wear the teeth down lest they grow too big for their own mouths, but beavers take it to another level), and what’s more, they can use those trees to build giant dams that serve as shelter from the elements and predators while simultaneously creating a lake they can swim and hunt in. That’s some pretty impressive engineering. (Which is why they’re my school mascot. That, and they’re nocturnal.) But that seems like a lot of work. And, really, I don’t want to go around building dams that radically transform the entire local ecosystem. Especially not if I have to keep doing it every few years in a new spot.
Mice and rats have a generally pretty bad lot in life and not much in the way of powers other than being able to survive a lot of very unpleasant things. Can’t say I’d want to be a Guinea pig or hamster, either.
Which brings me to… Squirrels. They climb trees. They can cling to just about anything. Excellent jumping and balance skills (thanks in part to their long tails). Like many prey animals, they have their eyes on opposite sides of their heads, giving them nearly 360° vision. Pretty good night vision, while we’re at it. They’re cute and furry, too. Plus they make my best friend absurdly happy.
Specifically, however, we have the squirrel which partly inspired my username. The flying squirrel can do all of the above plus they have a built-in wingsuit (I think they actually inspired the invention of the wingsuit) and a natural ability to navigate through the air with it.
It’s got to be a flying squirrel.
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The greater blind mole-rat, obviously. Vestigial eyes under a layer of skin for the win!
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