Cute or creepy: Why humans love some species, loathe others

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PARIS: The Chinese giant salamander, the largest amphibian in the world, is not cute. Weighing as much as an adult human, it has slimy brown ...

Weighing as much as an adult human, it has slimy brown skin, a giant mouth curled to a gormless grin, and puny, mistrustful eyes.And yet, unlike its compatriot the giant panda, the giant salamander rarely makes the news.

Size, intelligence, behaviour, rarity, how closely an animal resembles the human form - all play a part in our reaction to various endangered creatures. The salamanders are a vital part of their ecosystem, just as worms are essential to soil health around the steams and lakes they live in - which is just about everywhere."LEARNED" DISGUST?

Some animals are reviled due to their resemblance to"primary disgusting things" such as mucus or faeces, Davey said, while others are perceived - rightly or wrongly - to pose a direct danger to the beholder. Whereas the movie Free Willy prompted a wave of sympathy for the protection of endangered orcas,"Arachnophobia" hardly helped spiders' cause.Even the depiction of fictional creatures can have a knock-on effect on public perception towards certain animals."Seeing the one from the first film that had that mucus-y drawl dripping from the alien's mouth ... sensitises people to disgusting things," Davey said.

A specimen of the newly-discovered Australian Peacock Spider, Maratus Lobatus, shows off his colourful abdomen in this undated picture from Australia.

 

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