Questions tagged [antipredator-adaptation]
Change of behavior/morphology over evolutionary time to cope with predator pressure.
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Abilities used to survive against natural enemies: directional selection or frequency-dependent selection?
Regarding abilities used to survive predators and parasites, are they subjected more to directional selection or frequency-dependent selection?
It's usually that host-parasite coevolution is ...
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What is a (preferably) flying carnivorous insect that hunts adult fruit flies at a rate that doesn't threaten extinction?
I am forming an experiment, where I will be forcing evolution on Fruit Flies
(Thanks rogue ant) The experiment goes a bit like this;
I will be forming an ecosystem where every abiotic factor is ...
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What function does a mane serve in animals that possess it?
Horses, Donkeys, Antilopes and Bovines grow masses of hair on top (and sometimes below) the neck. What function does it serve? Is that to hinder predators biting?
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Why do dozens of preys run away from a clearly outnumbered predator? (e.g. zebras and lion)
We are all familiar with scenes where dozens (if not hundreds) of zebras, sheep, or other preys are chased by one lion, one wolf or other predator. Examples are all over youtube, but here is one of ...
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Why do buffalos not leave the lion alone? [closed]
In the Buffalo Kill Lion - The Stronger is The Winner video the buffalos seem to be attacking an incapacitated lion.
Why would they do that?
They seem to risk injury for no gain (they don't eat ...
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What predates on cactus in the Atacama desert?
Introduction
Last week, I was in the Atacama desert where I've seen many cacti. Some / many of them were seemingly suffering from predation. Most of predation seemed to be on cardón, often restricted ...
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What is the point of toxins without remarkable coloring?
As far as I know, some toxic species (eg: some mushrooms) have no remarkable coloring. Therefore, what is the purpose of their toxins?
Toxic species often have colorful appearances to warn predators. ...
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Which predators only eat some parts of their prey? (Warning — graphic content)
In an small city in middle-east somewhere near a desert, an unknown predator attacks sheeps, goats and chickens. These attacks began a few weeks ago and until now more than 150 sheeps have been ...
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Do any terrestrial herbivores use auditory crypsis for predator avoidance? [closed]
Some terrestrial predators "stalk" their prey: they sneak up on it slowly, maintaining a low profile, while keeping as close to silent as possible. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective: ...
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Why would a python go after such large prey?
I read that most Pythons would go for smaller prey, around the size of a house cat, but that larger species enjoy crocodiles, deer and even a bit of antelope for dinner. But why?
Now, I realise that ...
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Is Batesian mimicry more important for females?
Myrmarachne plataleoides is a jumping spider that mimics the Kerengga or weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in both morphology and behaviour. However, the two sexes appear different:
Myrmarachne ...
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Why is menstruation in wild animals not a disadvantage to organismal survival?
When I watch wilderness specials for more than a few minutes, I notice a familiar pattern: predators are depicted as being alerted by the scent of blood. Wounded animals seem to make the best prey and ...
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Why is green fur not a thing?
In most biomes on earth, and certainly in the most densely-populated, the best camouflage color or pattern for an animal would be a variant of green, so as to blend in with the leaves and grasses of ...
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What prevents predator overpopulation?
I've often heard that a population, human or otherwise, will continue to grow as long as there is food available (assuming nothing else is killing them off). It makes sense: if you have food you can ...
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Are there predators evolved to eat puffer fish?
Puffer fish is known for having a anti-predation defense mechanism of having toxin-exuding spikes.
Are there predators which evolved specifically to prey on puffer fish? (presumably, by evolving ...
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How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating?
How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating? It seems like they would constantly be scratching each other.
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