ANIMAL ADVOCATES AUSTRALIA

Photo
mad-as-a-marine-biologist: Super-predatory humans Matt Walker writes a very interesting article in BBC Nature about the question of why animals don’t appear to have evolved defences against us - a natural predatory force, as they do other predator pressures.  Well, a normally reliable response to predation is to get bigger. Than your predator, preferably. For example: Lions, wolves and orca tend to avoid fully grown, fit buffalo, moose and whales respectively.  However, in the human world we have a saying, “the bigger, the better”, and suddenly being large was no longer a defense, but rather an attraction for the up and coming human predator.  The same went for other defensive ornaments - ivory for elephants, (meaty) claws of lobsters and crabs. Their very defenses became their downfall.  Other responses include becoming poisonous - either by producing toxins, or harnessing toxins produced by microbes. But we are nothing if not ingenious, and have learnt to cut out the bad bits.  In short “we hunt on too grand a scale, with too much ingenuity, targeting the biggest animals.” “Our arrival and technological history has engendered an enormous change in the evolution of most species on Earth,” says Prof Vermeij, of University of California at Davies who has studied the effects of predators on evolution for more than thirty years. “In evolutionary terms, we leave our prey with nowhere to go. They have no way to defend themselves and simply cannot respond. And that represents a cataclysmic shift for species on this planet, the implications of which, he adds, we have barely begun to understand.”   It is a bit of a “no-shit-Sherlock” situation. Of course nature hasn’t got time to adapt to us. There’s 7 billion of us. What we can do is do better at giving reprieve to some areas of land and sea, to give evolution time to catch it’s breath.  Zoom

mad-as-a-marine-biologist:

Super-predatory humans

Matt Walker writes a very interesting article in BBC Nature about the question of why animals don’t appear to have evolved defences against us - a natural predatory force, as they do other predator pressures. 

Well, a normally reliable response to predation is to get bigger. Than your predator, preferably. For example: Lions, wolves and orca tend to avoid fully grown, fit buffalo, moose and whales respectively. 

However, in the human world we have a saying, “the bigger, the better”, and suddenly being large was no longer a defense, but rather an attraction for the up and coming human predator. 

The same went for other defensive ornaments - ivory for elephants, (meaty) claws of lobsters and crabs. Their very defenses became their downfall. 

Other responses include becoming poisonous - either by producing toxins, or harnessing toxins produced by microbes. But we are nothing if not ingenious, and have learnt to cut out the bad bits. 

In short “we hunt on too grand a scale, with too much ingenuity, targeting the biggest animals.”

“Our arrival and technological history has engendered an enormous change in the evolution of most species on Earth,” says Prof Vermeij, of University of California at Davies who has studied the effects of predators on evolution for more than thirty years.

“In evolutionary terms, we leave our prey with nowhere to go. They have no way to defend themselves and simply cannot respond. And that represents a cataclysmic shift for species on this planet, the implications of which, he adds, we have barely begun to understand.”  

It is a bit of a “no-shit-Sherlock” situation. Of course nature hasn’t got time to adapt to us. There’s 7 billion of us. What we can do is do better at giving reprieve to some areas of land and sea, to give evolution time to catch it’s breath. 

via mad-as-a-marine-biologist
Posted on Sunday, February 19 2012.
117
Notes
  1. trvlfrk reblogged this from fuckyeahunderwater
  2. biologynerdynerd reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  3. fourforkorra liked this
  4. necromacer reblogged this from sexytier
  5. ramble-bramble reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  6. anthraxprincess reblogged this from fuckyeahunderwater
  7. samikait reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  8. no9jazzst reblogged this from axolotltoast and added:
    Very interesting, yep.
  9. axolotltoast reblogged this from moreanimalia
  10. lifethroughgeologictime liked this
  11. heatherly84 liked this
  12. reid-ler reblogged this from usb-dongle
  13. tumbling-v reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist and added:
    And when organisms...coexisting with us? When cockroaches survive everything and...
  14. cavejohnsons-lemon-stand reblogged this from usb-dongle
  15. axolotltoast liked this
  16. captainjasha liked this
  17. infiniteloveofthesea reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  18. outsidethesphere reblogged this from bullshit-bullsharks
  19. colliflower liked this
  20. marshtwain liked this
  21. obsessivepuzzles reblogged this from usb-dongle and added:
    Huh…that’s kinda cool in
  22. purplehairsecretlair liked this
  23. sexytier reblogged this from crowable
  24. she-is-fiercer liked this
  25. iamfuckingeridan reblogged this from usb-dongle
  26. crowable reblogged this from usb-dongle
  27. usb-dongle reblogged this from frickingcisscum
  28. usb-dongle liked this
  29. e77700 liked this
  30. frickingcisscum liked this
  31. frickingcisscum reblogged this from bullshit-bullsharks and added:
    if we actually gave a shit though >:
  32. bullshit-bullsharks reblogged this from lesbianslovefish
  33. lesbianslovefish reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  34. theheavyweights liked this
  35. immolated reblogged this from onemorerobot
  36. carbonlocked reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist and added:
    mad-as-a-marine-biologist’s thoughts...over-fishing, perfect. #sea
  37. carbonlocked liked this
  38. spoonster liked this
  39. hemipenes reblogged this from endless-ecdysis
  40. silvermoonlightatmidnight liked this
  41. silvermoonlightatmidnight reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  42. micaelamaynot reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  43. fkz liked this
  44. greenbrideguide liked this
  45. trvlfrk liked this
  46. oceanaeco liked this
  47. biognosis liked this
  48. sillywillyjade liked this
  49. b0b0tr0n liked this
  50. williamgardner reblogged this from mad-as-a-marine-biologist
  51. Show more notesLoading...
ANIMAL ADVOCATES AUSTRALIA Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, ranging from the protectionist side of the movement, presented by philosopher Peter Singer—with a utilitarian focus on suffering and consequences, rather than on the concept of rights—to the abolitionist side, represented by law professor Gary Francione, who argues that animals need only one right: the right not to be property. Despite the different approaches, advocates broadly agree that animals should be viewed as non-human persons and members of the moral community, and should not be used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment...WIKI Twitter @animalforce Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Margforsharks "THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN MEN SUCH AS I WILL LOOK UPON THE MURDER OF ANIMALS AS THEY NOW LOOK UPON THE MURDER OF MEN" LEONARDO DA VINCI Animal Advocate, Shark Conservationist, Animal liberationist, Greenpeace Frontliner, Vegan and Buddhist. Fearless EcoWarrior! --> The Animal Kill Counter: Basic Version << ADAPTT :: Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow

Animals Slaughtered:

0 marine animals
0 chickens
0 ducks
0 pigs
0 rabbits
0 turkeys
0 geese
0 sheep
0 goats
0 cows and calves
0 rodents (excluding rabbits)
0 pigeons and other birds
0 buffaloes
0 horses, donkeys, mules, camelids

THEY WILL NEVER KNOW A SPRING As I walked along the street today My heart began to sing, For I passed a mass of daffodils And I felt the joy of Spring. I marveled at the colours Of the blossom everywhere, And it filled my heart with joy To see the trees no longer bare. Then I thought of all the animals And no more my heart could sing, And I ached for all the millions Who will never know a Spring. I thought of pigs in factory farms In squalid filthy pens, And I thought of spider-ridden sheds Stacked up with battery hens. They'll never feel a ray of sun, Their hearts will never sing, Locked away from life and beauty They will never know a Spring
axelaustteam.tumblr.com/thesharkblog ASK ME ANYTHING WITHIN REASON :-) VISITORS VIEW AND TWITTER ACCESS
Previous Next