• Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    In the wild, all three are territorial, aggressively horny, and articulate enough to be known to kill their own young at times. So not particularly.

        • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          What I meant by “articulate” is most species wouldn’t fathom killing their young as a form of expression of angst. However, in elephants, seals, and walruses, this isn’t an uncommon thing to see in the wild, in fact a large percentage of the ones in zoos have been victims of the elephant/walrus/seal equivalent of unexplained child abuse that were “adopted” by zookeepers.

          • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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            8 months ago

            I’m really confused then, since “articulate” to me means clear, distinct speech, being good with words, or having the power of speech. I don’t know what it means in this context.

            • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              “Articulate” as in a rough synonym of expressive. Art is articulate. Gaming can be articulate. Or at least that’s what I’m going by. I learned full English later in life, which may explain why some people say my word choice isn’t 100% analogous to its closest counterpart.

              • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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                8 months ago

                Ah, I see where you’re coming from with that interpretation, thanks for the clarification! (For what it’s worth, for this English speaker, “articulate” has a very strong connotation of speech.)

                • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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                  8 months ago

                  To me it has a connotation of the individual connections clearly established. Hands are articulate mechanisms because they’re highly divided down into small pieces.

              • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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                8 months ago

                Articulate can relate to physical flexibility, jointedness, which isn’t a strong point for seals on land, and may contribute to their tendency to squash their pups. Speaking clearly is also not a strong point.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        Are you asking whether you’re having a hard time? I see the interrogative, and it parses like that.

        • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          Well, I was asking whether they meant another word or whether I was misunderstanding their use of this one. They did indeed choose articulate, and were using it in a way that is foreign to my experience.

    • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I think people assume they’re friendly because they can be pretty curious, which can appear like friendliness, but I’ve heard they’re aggressive biters when messed with.

      • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        They have a high bar as well. You could do so much as try to get too comfortable near their flock and they’ll attack you. All three animals have a known altruistic side, but this is balanced by a heightened degree of erraticness.