By: Elaine Xu

Have you ever wanted to talk to animals? If you had this power, which animals would you talk to? Here are some of the animals I would talk to!

Dogs would be a great option. I really want to ask a dog, “Where do you want people to belly rub you?” or “Do squirrels taste good?” The dog might answer back, “I like it when people rub my tummy or scratch me behind the ear!” for the first question and “Squirrels taste the BEST! They are just so sweet and chewy,” for the second question.

Cats are also on my “chat list.” I could finally understand these furry creatures by asking, “Why do you like to chase those red dots (lasers)?” It’s possible they’ll answer, “Chasing them feels like chasing mice. It feels like a fun hunting game!”

Talking to birds would also be fun. Wouldn’t it be amazing to ask a bird, “Where do you go in the winter?” or “Have you ever seen a shooting star?” For the first question, a bird might chirp, “Hmm… Florida is my favorite place to go, but I also go to Mexico and Hawaii.” They might say, “No, but I really want to,” for the second question.

Some people might argue that understanding animal languages would be really complex and confusing. They might even worry that understanding animals would somehow make them less wild. But, of course, a deeper connection with these awesome animals outweighs these concerns.

Imagine a future where children learn animal languages alongside human languages. I hope talking to animals will really happen in the future!

Image Credit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animals-and-us/201912/does-talking-your-pet-mean-youre-smarter