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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   2719 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 27, 2025

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I have a few thoughts.

Bears: I'm going to throw in a vote for the US. Black bears, brown bears, and grizzlies are all common. Russia might be in the running too.

Big cats: are you only including panthera, or "cats that are big"? The US might come back into the running with mountain lions if it's the latter.

Canines: the US probably wins here hands down if you include the larger eastern coyote. If you don't, it gets a lot murkier.

Big snakes: this might be the US these days. The Burmese python population is out of control in Florida, and they get enormous.

You might want to include a few more categories as well.

"Large browsers" are different from "large grazers". The US and Canada have moose and elk. Several countries in Africa have giraffe.

"Crocodilians" have representatives in the US, China, India, multiple South American countries, and at least Egypt. This probably goes to the US or China

"Aquatic mammals" is another interesting one, with freshwater dolphins (India, China, South America), manatees, and dugongs. This probably goes to the US, unless the dugong is more common in the Taiwan straight than I thought.

I'm not sure what the technical term is, but "giant honkin' birds" would be tricky. You have ostriches, and emus, but a few other that might fit as well. This gets complicated by the fact that the big two have been exported and farmed all over the world.n Australia probably wins here?

Australia probably wins for giant flightless birds. It also probably wins for giant lizards.

Crocodilians- I mean there’s american alligators, and theres saltwater crocodiles in Australia. Aquatic mammals almost certainly goes to US, with elephant seals even if manatees are too marginal.

For large browsers I think the US wins again, with moose.

Bears is definitely US or Norway. No way it’s Russia- it’s just too poor to win on widespread species. Canada, Japan, Scandinavia, all have bears.

For large browsers I think the US wins again, with moose.

Not for the bison? They're heavier, but less gangly.

Bison are grazers, not browsers.

Now I’m imagining a bison with a browser-grade neck. Cartoony animal.

Today I learned this distinction. Thanks!

Bears is definitely US or Norway. No way it’s Russia- it’s just too poor to win on widespread species. Canada, Japan, Scandinavia, all have bears.

I think I wrote that while I was trying do do some per Capita GDP vs megafauna math. If it's just "has animals", you're definitely right.

I mean, the winner of GDP per bear is probably some euro country with very few bears.

The Dubai zoo may end up winning all categories.

Scandavian winning again due to their socialized natural resources…

I would guess France, actually- a small but self-sustaining bear population with a large economy.

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