The Hybridization of Human and Animal

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If humans were able to be hybridized with one animal, what animal would you choose and why? I would choose a puffin. I thought about this question quite a bit and considered more common animals like tigers, eagles, whales, and starfish. However, I think puffins would be my top choice. Puffins can fly, swim, and walk on land efficiently. Humans can also swim and walk on land, but puffins can fly and may have a better swimming ability. Puffins are able to dive as deep as 200 feet underwater with their webbed feet, can hold their breaths for about 1 minute, and their feathers are waterproof (Henderson, 2021; Puffin FAQs, 2015). Puffins are able to fly up to about ~40-50 mph and up to 30 feet (Henderson, 2021; Puffin FAQs, 2015).

How far should the hybridization between you and your chosen animal to go, and how much humanity are you willing to sacrifice? I do not think there is an easy answer to this question. It would be nice if the hybridization only extended to the point that humans are able to obtain the puffin’s abilities to swim and fly. I would still want to look human but with the ability to fly and swim. Ultimately, I think I will have to sacrifice typical human features in order to obtain the puffin’s ability to swim and fly. I think the hybrid would look somewhat similar to the image on the left (minus the beak on the right side of the face). I do not think much humanity should be sacrificed in this hybridization. Since puffins have a shorter life span, only about ~20 years, I do think humans would have to sacrifice some years of their typical lifespan (Henderson, 2021). More puffin than humanity would be lost in this hybridization. The size and most of the typical physical features of puffins are lost. I also think the diet and lifestyle of this hybridization should lean more towards humanity rather than puffin.