@James iirc I mentioned my potential interest (as long as I don't need to talk about tectonics because the tectonics can do are based on looking at maps of the tectonic plates of earth and trying to replicate the pattern without understanding underlying processes)
@James Yeah... I'd agree. It would probably get tricky if there was a possibility of having a conversation with your next meal... Sounds like cannibalism, even if it's a different species.
@AndyD273 That would be really interesting (a la the cow that wants to be eaten in Restaurant at the end of the Universe) or horrifying (a la the hart that says it doesn't want to be eaten in CS Lewis' Silver Chair book).
There's a line in The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents where the cat catches a non talking mouse, but has to double check that it's not sentient, so he holds it down and says "Ok, just say one word, and I'll let you go..."
@AndyD273 that kind of happens all the time in Chronicles of Narnia (the talking animals part. I don't recall a scene where a talking predator takes prey then has to decide if it's also a talking beast).
@Green I think they kinda avoid that problem by having the talking animals look different from the non-talking ones. Like bigger than normal for instance. I don't know how you'd figure it out otherwise if you were going bow hunting or something. Maybe the talking deer wear orange vests?