Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Animal Species They'd Turn Over Control Of The Earth To If They Could

People Explain Which Animal Species They'd Turn Over Control Of The Earth To If They Could
elephant walking during daytime
Make us preferred on Google

There are a lot of different species of animals—most of which are insects—on this planet.

Primates—specifically hominins which includes chimpanzees and humans—ended up top dogs.

But what if we didn't? What other species could take on the role?

Maybe one of them would do a better job of managing the planet than humans have.


Redditor EmperorOfDankness asked:

"If you had to hand over this planet to a different species of animal for them to rule over it, what would you choose?"

Feline Overlords

"House cats. They're taking over the world anyway. Might as well get on their good side while I can."

-HammockDistricOn5th

"Same. They are much more intelligent than we think."

-cute_floof

Giphy

Good Bois

"Dogs, especially golden retrievers. They would call everyone 'hey buddy!' and the world would be peaceful again."

-sayhummus

"This is the correct answer, a dog ruled society would be a uptopia of love empathy and cuddles. There would also be a fair amount of normalized poo-eating, no vacuums, and almost certainly waaaaay too much public acceptance of deeeeep up close crotch sniffing, but it would be a small price to pay."

-HoratioReddacted

Giphy

World's Largest—And Chillest—Rodents

"Capybara."

-quotidianwoe

"Capybaras. They get along with every animal."

-SmartAlec105

Giphy

Corvid Kings

"Crows, I love their intelligence, plus they look cool. I’m genuinely hoping they wind up becoming the next intelligent species on earth."

-Not-Alpharious

"'Sorry boss, I'm going to be late for work this morning, there's a murder at the bus stop again.'"

-dusty-kat

Giphy

Division Of Labor

"I'd let octopuses rule the seas, elephants rule the land, and crows rule the skies."

-ruffsnap

"I argue we they should get full control of the planet."

"Birds are dumb as hell, don't let their nut dropping antics fool you. And like, do you really want to be ruled over by something big and threatening and thrice your size? Octopodes are small and squishy and very smart and already have an alliance formed with the squids for this precise contingency."

-Plethora_of_squids

Giphy

Endangered Species

"I’d love to see the endangered or hunted species of a given area become the ruler of that specific place. So-nutria & gators in Louisiana, wolves & cattle in the Midwest, tigers & pangolins & sharks & antelope & rhinos & dogs & bears & fox & etc etc etc in China…ex like that. I like poetic justice."

-Sobadatsnazzynames

Giphy

Formidable Formicidae

"Ants, if they could reach our level of intelligence in combination with their coordination could make a powerful civilization."

-sticky-man1229

"ANTS"

"The ant is one of the world's strongest creatures in relation to its size. A single ant can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they'll even work together to move bigger objects as a group! Ants carry leaves and twigs back to their nests!"

-PoeticThesaurus

Giphy

Floofy Kitties

"Snow leopards. I trust they would do a good job."

-That-Desktop-User

Giphy

It's About Time

"Crocodiles. They've survived hundreds of millions of years. It should be their turn."

-DirtySingh

Giphy

Seems Fitting

"Dung Beetles, they will take care of all the sh*t we have caused."

-dkamp92

Giphy

Maybe we should give a few of these animals the chance to be in charge.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Nicolle Wallace; Marco Rubio and Donald Trump
MS NOW; Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Nicolle Wallace Offers Hilariously Brutal Suggestion For 'Addled' Trump Amid 'Bizarre' NATO Press Conferences

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has been participating in the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, since Tuesday afternoon, but the visit has been anything but successful for the embattled POTUS.

Trump's appearances before the international press on hand for the summit have been rife with gaffes that have the domestic and international communities both amused and concerned over the 80-year-old's continued cognitive decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Catherine Zeta-Jones; Bonnie Tyler
Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Christian Augustin/Getty Images

Catherine Zeta-Jones Pens Touching Tribute To Singer Bonnie Tyler After Death—And Fans Are Emotional

Bonnie Tyler, singer of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," died on July 8, 2026, just a month after her 78th birthday.

She was in a hospital in Portugal, and she died unexpectedly from the illness she was being treated for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Rasmus Svaneborg; Mark Rutte
@atrupar/X; Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

Reporter Puts NATO Secretary General On The Spot With Brutal 'Self-Respect' Question About Trump

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte found himself on the spot after Danish reporter Rasmus Svaneborg questioned whether sitting silently beside President Donald Trump as he discusses "conquering" Greenland and criticizing allies has impacted his "self-respect."

Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, has been forced to manage Trump's repeated criticism of NATO while contending with his public insistence that the United States should acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield
Darren Gerrish/WireImage/Ralph Lauren/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield's New Long Hair Has Fans Completely Swooning—And We So Get It

One thing that fans have always appreciated about Andrew Garfield is his very healthy head of hair.

Even when he wore his hair shorter for The Social Network, or just slightly longer and spiked up for The Amazing Spider-Man, it was obvious that he had very thick and luscious hair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of JD Vance; Julia Louis-Dreyfus
@HQNewsNow/X; Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

JD Vance Pauses Rally To Check If He Got A Call From Trump—And It's Giving Major 'Veep' Vibes

Vice President JD Vance drew comparisons to Selina Meyer, the bumbling vice president played by actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus on HBO's hit political satire Veep after he stopped a rally speech to check whether President Donald Trump had called him.

As Selina Meyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won multiple Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades for portraying the perpetually dysfunctional vice president.

Keep ReadingShow less