Humans will pet anything

Did things evolve to like to be petted because humans like to pet everything

OR..

Did humans evolve to like to pet everything because everything on earth responds in some way to touch?

Touch is nice. All creatures big enough to be petted respond to touch.

Even my fishes like being gently petted (and no I don’t do it a lot, my hands stay out of my tanks most of the time). I put my hands in the tank and they brush themselves up against my fingertips, gently waving through the water.

I had a couple of football sized koi that loved getting rubs on the ridge on their "head". I also had a tortoise who loved head pats, she was a weird one though. Seemed far more social than any tortoise I'd met before. It was both adorable and terrifying to see her tear ass when I'd visit in the morning. It wasn't that she was fast, she just didn't care who or what was between her and I.
- Tortoises love pets and shell scratches. I have never seen a tortoise that was well taken care of that wasn't friendly and outgoing. I think people really underestimate how social and how loving some reptiles can be.
I like to think something random and really specific like this might be the Great Filter.
- Warning for Reddit link, but… The Great Filter: Cheat Code literally has our bond with a certain animal be why we passed one of, I think three? great filters

We're so quick to say human hands are perfect for holding fruit and veggies while I think they're perfect for pets ☺️

- Cat

Can’t you get leprosy from touching armadillos?

no! to get leprosy from an armadillo you'd have to kill them and eat their (liver or kidney i forget which has the leprosy) fuckin RAW. they do not carry leprosy outside of this organ and you can't get it from touching them in any way. they don't deserve the slander, pets for all the armadillos!
- Do you have a source on that? Everything I’ve found through google says otherwise.
  “There have also been reports of people getting leprosy after coming in direct contact with nine-banded armadillos, which can carry the bacteria that causes leprosy.“
  Source
- This nocturnal animal, the only mammal other than humans that is known to get leprosy, is a common sight in Florida. Papers estimate that, in some areas, 15 – 20% of armadillos carry the *M. leprae *bacteria.
  “There have also been reports of people getting leprosy after coming in direct contact with nine-banded armadillos, which can carry the bacteria that causes leprosy.“
  Source
  You wanna gamble on being immune to bacteria by all means, I’ll keep my hands off them to be safe.
They can carry rabies, so maybe don't go picking up random ones in the wild
- This nocturnal animal, the only mammal other than humans that is known to get leprosy, is a common sight in Florida. Papers estimate that, in some areas, 15 – 20% of armadillos carry the *M. leprae *bacteria.

I got to pet an armadillo once at a grade school assembly. It was neat, really warm and leathery.

Can confirm! Held one recently at this crazy place that had all sorts of animals for huggin’. We don’t have ‘roos here but you bet my ass was huggin a ‘roo. What the fuck is a binturong? Fuckin adorable, and huggable. Consider it hugged. Porcupine?
…well, that one I just pet. Didn’t realize you can just pet them. And they’re like 4x bigger than I expected from movies. V v sweet tho. I also only pet the capybaras. They didn’t look like they wanted to be hugged. Too chill for hugs.
- Now that I think about it, there was also a porcupine at the event with the armadillo. As long as you pet in the direction the quills lay, you're fine. Pet the other way... well, I didn't try it but I don't think the outcome would be very comfortable.
One must assume that domestic armadillos are less risky, but I would hesitate to pet an armadillo as I've heard they commonly carry leprosy.
- Leprosy famously has a very low R0 value. Low enough that it's really surprising that it was ever considered an epidemic.

Humans are Space Orks.

I tried to pet a honey badger. Turns out honey badgers don't care.

They don't give a fuck.
- Nasty!

Turtles and tortoises also like pets sometimes and not just their heads. Their shells are surprisingly sensitive.

I like to be pet! Just sayin

God save anyone who hurt a humans pet

It's true I'm a human we really do that

If I die bcs I was petting some creature, that's a good cause to go.

Don't go petting Bison.
I don't really care if you die but they don't like people petting them, and those of us who respect them enough to just watch them don't want overfamiliar people causing them to stay too far away for us to see them.
Do feel free to pay a visit to a pet shelter and spread some love around even if you can't take one home.
- Oh, Im absolutely mindful of not harming the animal or it's kind, that includes not changing their behaviour towards humans (humans are terrible for them).
  So yes, no wild bisons or yesdaughters.

@Elevator7009@kbin.run Wrong community, but oh well, it was dead anyways

I distinctly remember "humans are the friendly ones"/"humans are willing to pack bond with a lot of stuff" as a common HFY theme.
- Ohh, it's related to that?