I've got a serious question about life!

[Cyprus106]

Why aren't there midget other things?! There's midget people... and midget horses. Why aren't there midget penguins or midget rabbits... or midget deer?! I'm not talking about a breed of small deer, i'm talking about a deer that's a freaking midget?! I've been wondering this for a week! Who's ever seen a midget golden retriever or a midget elephant... midget giraffe, anyone? I'd have figured even if natural selection wouldda picked them off in the wild, there still should be like some SOMEWHERE?!

I WANT A MIDGET PENGUIN! Or at least I'd like to know why there arent' any

[SeaWarrior]

dude, lay off the weed....actually i think there are midget other things...i've seen a "midget" deer...it was a white tail but it was tiny...pretty cool...

[Jet-Lee]

There are midget dogs, they're called "Toy ...." as in a Toy Pomeranian, or Toy Poodle, etc. etc.

There aren't midget horses. Those small horses are a breed.

[crayzayjay]

Did someone say midget porn?



http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/manimalmidget.html

[-Josh-]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

Did someone say midget porn?



http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/manimalmidget.html

Leave it to you to have an answer concerning midgets...

[fredjacksonsan]

Game, set and match: Jay

[Andydg]

Serious answer...Evolution. Only the strong will survive in the wild.

[Knifeblade]

[ci5ic]

What about munchkin cats?

http://cat-breeds.cats-central.com/m...eed-guide.html

[Smmoke]

Originally Posted by ci5ic

What about munchkin cats?

http://cat-breeds.cats-central.com/m...eed-guide.html

Ohh my God... that has to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen...

I'm serious though...

[beef_bourito]

well it might just be that the midget (or small people) gene hasn't happened in those populations. it happened in humans, then got passed on to the offspring, that's how it happens. one of the reasons that things evolve is from mutations in normal dna. before civilisation, or in the wild, if a gene helps, there are good chances that it will stay, if it is useless, it might or might not stay, if it's detremental, it gets bred out because it's the survival of the fittest. being smaller is generally a bad thing when survival is involved, so midget wolves won't be able to catch nearly as much food and they will die off.

[quteasabutton]

probably a few reasons why.

humans have more chromosomes than other animals, making us more complex and providing more opportunity for things to go wrong.

you don't see midget other things because instead of humans nuturing everything, other animals let them die because they're not fit enough to properly contribute to the next generation's gene pool.

you see toy breeds of animals because humans manipulated the gene pool and bred them over a long period of time to get them smaller. it wasn't some freak accident that there are thousands of toy poodles or pomeranians running around.

there's a serious answer for your less-than-serious question