jackson@ttidca.TTI.COM (Dick Jackson) (08/05/87)
I present the following items to support the contention that most big
predators do not include humans on their hunting list:
- Big cat predators (lions, tigers, leopards, etc) do not stalk and
eat humans. (The "man-eating-tiger seems an isolated, rare,
perhaps "learned" behavior).
- Sharks do not feed on human swimmers (when they do attack
people it seems to be by accident, i.e. mistaking us for seals)
Now, to a lion, we humans would be much easier to catch and eat than
gazelles, etc. Why do they avoid us?
- Have they evolved to treat us as dangerous because we are smart
and carry spears? (Is a million odd years long enough for
lions to have developed this trait, even if it makes sense --
surely it would be more realistic for lions to adopt the
behavior of only attacking humans when they did not have spears!)
- Why don't sharks just cruise over to Malibu and nibble on
the surfers? (Surfers don't carry spears).
- Have we as a species been around for too short a time to get
programmed into predators prey lists? (But leopards prey on
monkeys).
- Do we taste bad? (Just a joke).
- Divine intervention? (Another joke).
Exeptions that spring to mind are polar bears and crocodiles. I would
guess that polar bears eat humans because energy is scarce where they
live, and that crocs do so because they are dumb, and eat anything living.
Is it true that alligators will not attack humans (in general)?
My knowledge of animal behavior is superficial so please don't beat me up
too badly, but I do think the points made above raise interesting
questions. Is there an obvious answer?
Dick Jacksonwerner@aecom.YU.EDU (Craig Werner) (08/06/87)
In article <1055@ttidca.TTI.COM>, jackson@ttidca.TTI.COM (Dick Jackson) writes: > > - Big cat predators (lions, tigers, leopards, etc) do not stalk and > eat humans. (The "man-eating-tiger seems an isolated, rare, > perhaps "learned" behavior). > > - Do we taste bad? (Just a joke). > Don't laugh. Apparently humans are some of the worst smelling animals known, and it is taken quite seriously in anthropological circles that one of our reasons for survival was our bad taste. -- Craig Werner (future MD/PhD, 3 years down, 4 to go) werner@aecom.YU.EDU -- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517) "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died."
julia@slovax.UUCP (Julia Haviland) (08/11/87)
> Now, to a lion, we humans would be much easier to catch and eat than > gazelles, etc. Why do they avoid us? > > - Have they evolved to treat us as dangerous because we are smart > and carry spears? (Is a million odd years long enough for > lions to have developed this trait, even if it makes sense -- > surely it would be more realistic for lions to adopt the > behavior of only attacking humans when they did not have spears!) > > - Have we as a species been around for too short a time to get > programmed into predators prey lists? (But leopards prey on > monkeys). > > Exeptions that spring to mind are polar bears and crocodiles. I would > guess that polar bears eat humans because energy is scarce where they > live, and that crocs do so because they are dumb, and eat anything living. > Is it true that alligators will not attack humans (in general)? > > Dick Jackson (Remarks about sharks omitted.) A "standard" anthropological/ecological argument is that predators have indeed learned that humans are dangerous and avoid them. Humans are dangerous because of fire, weapons, and pack behavior. In other words, a human doesn't have to be carrying a spear to be dangerous. Also, humans do not behave like the standard prey animal for most predators. Most predators specialize in some manner and only occasionally take prey not in their specialty group. In terms of energy expenditure, it doesn't pay to chase unfamiliar prey, they might do something unexpected. Therefore, individual predators have to learn to take humans as prey on a usual basis. Groups of animals can learn quickly that humans are or are not dangerous. Animals in National Parks in both US and Africa often ignore people and do not react to them either a predators or prey. If protected animals are hunted, they soon react like unprotected animals in their reaction to humans. Man-hunters appear to individually learn to take humans as prey, occasionally from other members of the same species. I don't know whether crocodiles and polar bears actually take humans as prey to any extent. In the case of crocodiles, it may be that the prey-spotting behavior is so generalized that humans fall into the standard prey category. Or it may be that crocodiles have learned that humans are an appropriate prey. Polar bears, like other bears, have a "bad disposition" and it may be that most human fatalities are due to teritorial disputes and less to predation.
myers@tybalt.caltech.edu (Bob Myers) (08/12/87)
>> Now, to a lion, we humans would be much easier to catch and eat than >> gazelles, etc. Why do they avoid us? One idea I had heard is that humans look bigger than they really are. We're bipedal, and apparently most animals judge size by height. I've heard this particularly in reference to tigers. Man-eaters are supposedly the ones who have learned we're not so hard to kill after all. "That was incredible. No fur, claws, horns, antlers, or nothin'... Just soft and pink" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well if that's the best there is Then I won't buy it Well if that's the only game Then I won't play Bob Myers myers@tybalt.caltech.edu {rutgers,amdahl}!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!myers
tower@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.) (08/13/87)
>> Now, to a lion, we humans would be much easier to catch and eat than >> gazelles, etc. Why do they avoid us? Lions and many other predators go after young, old, and ill prey (heh, the easiest targets, right?!?). Adult humans don't generally fit these categories. I also expect predators tend to go after familiar prey. Trying new behaviors when old ones are available and working is anti-survival. enjoy -len -- Len Tower, Distributed Systems Group, Boston University, 111 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA +1 (617) 353-2780 Home: 36 Porter Street, Somerville, MA 02143, USA +1 (617) 623-7739 UUCP: {}!harvard!bu-cs!tower INTERNET: tower@bu-cs.bu.edu