Have you ever considered that the creatures we find most repulsive might actually be the ones we should appreciate most? National Geographic's recent article "The astonishing superpowers of nature's most unloved animals" makes a compelling case for why we should reconsider our biases toward the animal kingdom's so-called "D-listers."
Written by A.J. Jacobs with photography by renowned wildlife photographer Joel Sartore, the piece explores how our aesthetic preferences skew conservation priorities, often to the detriment of ecosystems that depend on less charismatic species.
The article opens with vultures, explaining how their negative image has real-world consequences. As National Geographic Explorer Darcy Ogada points out, "Vultures definitely have an image problem." But these unloved birds serve as "nature's cleaners, hoovering up rotting carcasses and preventing the spread of disease." The dire consequences of their absence are strikingly illustrated by India's experience, where vulture populations crashed due to accidental poisoning: "According to a recent study in the American Economic Review, the decline in vultures correlated with more than half a million excess human deaths in a population sample in India between 2000 and 2005."
The piece presents a compelling argument about the conservation funding imbalance, noting that the "vast majority of global conservation money goes to a few top species, usually large animals such as rhinos, elephants, and gorillas." Meanwhile, critical but less appealing creatures like vultures, naked mole rats, and proboscis monkeys fight for scraps.
Why does this happen? Our brains are wired to prefer animals with characteristics that resemble human babies — "big, forward-facing eyes" create an immediate emotional connection. This leads to what psychologists call the "halo effect," where attractive creatures are mistakenly seen as morally superior.
The article doesn't just highlight the problem but offers solutions. Environmental social scientist Gabby Salazar suggests better storytelling as one key approach: "In this attention economy, there's some novelty and humor we could capitalize on." The article explains how internet memes about proboscis monkeys have actually increased conservation donations.
From three-toed sloths ("imperfect monsters of creation" with remarkable adaptations) to honey badgers (with venom-resistant nervous systems) to aye-ayes (whose bizarre appearance has put them at risk of being killed as bad omens), the piece showcases a menagerie of creatures whose remarkable traits far outweigh their lack of conventional beauty.
Next time you recoil at the sight of a vulture or a slug, remember this article's closing wish: "Here's to hoping that one day we see cartoon naked mole rats on cereal boxes, college football teams named the Vultures, and a blobfish getting its own Pixar movie."
The animal kingdom's underdogs deserve not just our attention but our conservation dollars — their survival might be more crucial to our own than we realize.
To see more of these animals, visit natgeo.com and tune into Underdogs on Nat Geo starting June 15.
Previously:
• Madagascar: The Rape of the Rosewood Forests (and lemur soup)
• Lemur demands backrub
• Cat-butt coffee: A critical review
• And now, a word from our lemurs.
• Video of mystery animal seen in West Virginia park
• Slow Loris hates having its belly combed
• Lemurs get high by licking toxic millipedes and rubbing them on their bodies
• The trailer for 'Flow' shows a different kind of buddy animal film
