I remember learning in school about nature and the ecosystem. Every type of creature is essential, even the predators which keep the numbers of the prey down. So how did all this evolve by itself? What is the real likelihood that we have a full fledged ecosystem on Earth? If there is life on other planets and it evolved like us, and it is in the same era of time as us, then what is the likelihood that they would have an ecosystem like ours? Isn't it possible that only bad bacteria (to us) thrives on that planet, or only non-predators thrive on that planet and there are no predators? Something like that.
What would have happened if Predators never evolved?
- Thread starter garbonzo
- Start date
I think if predators never evolved, then nothing would have evolved, so within the first few stages of cell development, biology would have collapsed and the earth would have reverted to a lifeless chemical soup.
I see. I was thinking of predators as objective. A lion or us humans are at the top of the food chain, and there isn't much things that eat us, but evolution such as it is doesn't have to end there, right? Something could have evolved that likes to eat lions. I see now. Thanks guys!
kx000
Valued Senior Member
Predators of plants.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Homo sapiens is the apex predator on this planet. We dine on the flesh of both bears and sharks.
Nonetheless, humans do get eaten. Occasionally an alligator survives to be 20ft long and he can kill and swallow absolutely anything or anybody. Snakes can also get big enough to attack humans. And of course there are some pretty big sharks. Oddly enough, orcas are famous for not only not hunting humans but even saving them from drowning. We must somehow resemble their own babies, since they have no qualms about eating seals, penguins, and anything else that wanders by.
In tropical countries where people live in proximity to large wildlife, they are occasionally killed for food by lions and tigers.
Bears and cougars kill Americans on very rare occasions, but it's often because they're ill or injured and can't hunt their usual, faster prey.
In general, predators will eat any animal they can catch, and they don't care if it's also a predator. All that matters is that it's small enough to capture. Cougars are happy to eat weasels.
There aren't really any predators large enough to kill and eat lions. Tigers are larger than lions but not enough to bother trying to kill one, especially since lions prefer to travel in packs.
Humans are kind of fussy. I've never tried it, but in general people don't find the flesh of carnivores to be very tasty.
No. This is a science website (or at least we try to be) so please use the terminology correctly. "Predation" means the killing and eating of live animals. It isn't even reasonable to use the word "predator" metaphorically to refer to herbivores. In general, they don't kill the plants. They just bite off pieces and let it grow back for the next guy's lunch.
