Mammals

[Dosu2Dinner]

The animals on the LBT world are emphatically divided into mere untalking animals into sapient anthropomorphic species who act like humans. Most types of animals in the LBT world fit neatly into one or the other category.

Mammals are a slightly trickier one though - some of the first mammals to appear on the series - Tickles and his fellows on 4 - seemed unable to speak like the main characters, but did, nevertheless, understand what they were saying.

This changed on the TV series. In the episode 'Stranger From the Mysterious Above,' the roles seemed to have changed. The mammals on this episode could speak, whereas Spike couldn't (or rather, didn't) suggesting that they may have a language unbeknownst to leaf-eating dinosaurs, rather like sharpteeth do.

However, then there was Skip from 'Return to Hanging Rock,' who could speak fluent leaf-eater language. Whether this is a general thing for mammals of his kind, or whether he just learnt it from being a nomad for so long, it still isn't clear.

So, over to you, what do you think? Mammals seem sapient like the dinosaurs, and if so, what is their view on them? Considering how they're quite often overshadowed, there may be a bit of displeasure here...

I for one find the idea of mammals being antagonists of LBT quite appealing. Though they lack the brawn to be obvious threats like powerful sharpteeth, they do have their resourcefulness and intelligence on their sides, proving a problem for our heroes in much darker ways.

[DarkHououmon]

I didn't know there was a difference between sentient and sapient.

[Dosu2Dinner]

Well, to be fair, I'm not too sure either...
But, I think, for the sake of the post, let's say there is.  

[jansenov]

In LBT mammals are intellectually just as capable as dinosaurs. Though this apparently doesn't grant the mammals sufficient influence on the world for the dinosaurs to notice them. The mammals as shown in LBT are very interested in the world of dinosaurs, which is logical, since by knowing the dinosaurs they know how to avoid them, and increase their own chance of survival. That's why they understand the language of the dinosaurs, why mammals in the Stranger from the Mysterious Above know the names and physical appearance of various dinosaurs, why Skip speaks fluent Flattooth, and why I think that the mammals in the Stranger from the Mysterious Above noticed that Spike was a dinosaur, and so spoke to him in his language, not in their own.

On the other hand, the dinosaurs would know almost nothing about mammals, due to their small size and their hiding. That would also be a plausible in-universe explanation for why the Gang haven't seen a mammal until Tickles, eventhough there should be mammals everywhere, and why I think Spike doesn't understand the mammal tongue, but that he was spoken to in his own language.