Re: AAT Theory
pete (VINCENT@REG.TRIUMF.CA)
21 Sep 1995 08:26:46 GMT
J. Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com) sez:
`Let's see: humans have big heads and broad shoulders, long legs
`(which create drag -- that's why aquatic mammals have short limbs);
well, no. It would take a bit of time to dredge up the references,
but as I recall, the optimum ratio of length (in the direction of
motion) to width for travel in a fluid the viscosity of water, is
about 15 to one. That's why all fast moving aquatic animals are
the shape they are. Salmon, sharks, crocs, otters, whatever.
To get that ratio, most of them grow long tails. Lacking tails,
the next best thing would be long straight legs. Sorry, but if
we're talking hydrodynamics, homonids have a considerable advantage
over other primates.
`Tk> You would trying to paint the
`Tk> crocodile as some kind of extraordinary predator when in fact
`Tk> there are plenty of land based predators that are
`Tk> equally as efficient at killing prey, if not more efficient.
`Name one that, like crocodiles, doesn't respond to bluff and
`threat. Name one that, like crocodiles, grabs an animal and
`doesn't let go, even when being "repeatedly stabbed with spears
`or knives, beaten with sticks, pelted with stones, or had sticks
`rammed down their gullets in order to prise the human victims
`from their jaws...but to no avail".
One thing you aren't considering here is that the crocodile is a
cold blooded animal, and therefore doesn't need to feed as often.
Just what is the relative predation per unit time of a large
cat and a crocodile? How territorial are either of them, ie
how great a net predation can we expect per unit territory
per unit time?
--
==========================================================================
vincent@triumf.ca <== faster % Pete Vincent
vincent@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca % Disclaimer: all I know I
% learned from reading Usenet.
|