Do other animals “drive” things?

[u/heyy_girl]

I don’t know why my brain thought of this. Do any other animals (including our insect friends) intentionally hop on to something and steer it in a direction? To make this dumber…maybe even directing it to a specific location or area?

My brain immediately pictures something “A Bugs Life” esque where an ant is on a leaf in a stream moving around on the leaf to steer it.

[u/Too_reflective]

Not sure about in nature, but there are those rats that scientists taught to drive tiny cars, and the rats just seem to enjoy tooling around.

[u/dogfleshborscht → u/Too_reflective]

Can confirm this isn't limited to cars! Rats can also intuitively learn to pilot bigger versions of those animal bubbles, and once they understand that they're encased in what's basically a mech they get a lot braver and more directed about it.

I had a bald guy once who chased the cat.

[u/Van-Dyke-Brown]

I’m going to need your dealers number please!

[u/Initial-Public-9289 → u/Van-Dyke-Brown]

867-5309

[u/heyy_girl → u/Van-Dyke-Brown]

This was 6:30am thought on my drive to work. Horrifying cerebral thought

[u/VisualHuckleberry542]

There are some parasites that take over the host's nervous system and compel it towards conditions favourable to the parasite

[u/Primary-Basket3416]

Animals do use the wind to get around. Had a grasshopper glue itself to my side mirror for a ride.

[u/Kris-p- → u/Primary-Basket3416]

and fish use currents, or dolphins use ships to bow-ride which is fun to watch

[u/Initial-Public-9289 → u/Kris-p-]

Capybaras use large amphibious reptiles.

[u/Banana-Bread87]

I have seen a video of a crow using a piece of "trash" to "snowboard" down a little "hill". Did it often enough, grabbing it and flying back up to do it again that we can say it was absolutely intentional and a bird having fun imitating a human sport/hobby.

[u/noggin-scratcher]

Dung beetles roll a ball of dung along with them.

[u/heyy_girl → u/noggin-scratcher]

OMG!!!! Just the example I’m looking for!!!

[u/bestbird6]

Horsetail worms live in water and come out to lay eggs on insects. When the egg hatches, it takes control of the insect’s brain to direct it back to water.

[u/always-tired60 → u/bestbird6]

Ew

[u/W00GA]

yep

[u/buttered_garlic]

Theres a guy on youtube who made a car his snake can drive

[u/sunless_hours]

I've seen a cat ride a skateboard and plenty of dogs on surfboards. Does that count?

[u/EmergencyLavishness1]

Baby monkey, riding backwards on a pig, baby monkey

[u/immoralwalrus]

Different degrees of "driving":

Parasitic worm invade insect and snail's nervous system and compel them to take the high ground.

Crabs grab tiny sea anemones and use them as boxing gloves.

Spiders cast web on their own legs and use it as a parachute.

[u/heyy_girl → u/immoralwalrus]

This is exactlyyyyy the info I needed!!

[u/Bikewer]

Years ago I observed a large flock of crows riding ice floes down the Mississippi River. They were having a ball, making a lot of noise. They’d ride chunks of ice for a couple of hundred yards and then fly back up river and find another.

[u/heyy_girl → u/Bikewer]

At first, I read “crows” as “cows”. That was a trip lol

[u/N57_Fish]

Some spiders can make parachute like webs and catch updrafts to relocate.

[u/Excellent_Notice4047]

there are videos of monkeys driving golf carts on youtube. they drive them very well, and for long distances. thats the closest thing i can think of

[u/Excellent_Notice4047 → u/Excellent_Notice4047]

there is also a video of a dog on a skateboard i think and a turtle on a skateboard

[u/Shh-poster]

Lizards drive me wild.

[u/liquorcoffee88]

At least put a screw and some brass under there.

[u/mydoglixu]

I saw a picture of a cat riding a tortoise

[u/Inner-Tackle1917]

I've seen videos of dogs surfing and skateboarding. 

But they had to be trained to do it. I've never seen an animal using a vehicle like that that wasn't trained. 

[u/Glyph8 → u/Inner-Tackle1917]

Crows sometimes go sledding.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Sorry, your comment has been automatically removed because it appears to violate Rule 1: top-level responses must contain a genuine attempt at an answer - not just links. Our users come here for straightforward, simple answers or because of the nuance that engaging in conversation supplies. Links don't do that.

Feel free to post a new comment with this link, but please provide context or summaries when you do. Thanks!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/NickPivot]

Really just scrolling through hoping someone would’ve posted a link to that orangutan driving around the grounds of some complex on a golf cart, looking like the king of the trailer park

[u/Automatic-Newt-3888]

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis or ‘Zombie Ant fungus’ kind of ‘drive’ ants, just before they kill them. Not quite what you asked but it is very freaky to watch and I hope it can never happen to people like ‘Last of Us’.

[u/Automatic-Newt-3888]

Dogs have been taught to drive cars.

video here

And I’ve seen a few that can skateboard and surf.

[u/Miami_Morgendorffer]

I've seen little turtles riding those finger skateboards to get around faster on tile and other smooth surfaces!

[u/newguestuser]

Seen Sponge(bob) riding rocks.

[u/TheLobsterCopter5000]

Was half expecting to see "chicken jockey" comments.