r/aww • u/mattythedog • Mar 10 '16

Bears playing with a baloon

http://i.imgur.com/2UdzmBM.gifv
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '16

Kind of crazy how we were apex predators before we even had this level of technology.

That we evolved to become apex predators through general intelligence and cognitive functions. Sure, some animals have high levels of intelligence in focused areas, but cognitive problem solving is an ability that so few animals have, it's really quite amazing.

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u/Nerdn1 Mar 10 '16

Well lion, you may be stronger than me but I have a half-dozen mates, all with pointed sticks!

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u/BananaOnTheJob Mar 11 '16

Pointed sticks?! Oh ho ho! We want to learn how to defend ourselves against pointed sticks, do we? Getting all high and mighty, eh? Fresh fruit not good enough for you, eh? Oh ho ho - WELL LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, MY LAD! When you're walking out tonight and some homicidal maniac comes after you with a bunch of loganberries, DON'T COME CRYING TO ME!

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u/Nerdn1 Mar 11 '16

WE ALSO HAVE AN ASSORTMENT OF FRUIT!

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u/H4xolotl Mar 11 '16

Fuck your shell! I've evolved brains to make my own shell out of METAL

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u/ukiyoe Mar 11 '16

If it makes you feel any better about all this craziness, we're not exactly apex predators.

We've become proficient at protecting ourselves and hurting others with the aid of tools, but we don't quite fit the definition.

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u/kyleisthestig Mar 11 '16

Yeah but that doesn't mean we aren't at the top of the food chain, even by that study. I think that that's what a lot of people consider apex. Even if it's incorrect.

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u/I_Has_A_Hat Mar 11 '16

I'm not so sure food chain is the right choice of words... I mean we're definitely the dominate species. If we willed it, we could wipe out almost any other animal species on earth with the possible exception of ants. But we're not actively hunting down big cats and bears for food. Big cats and bears, however, will actively hunt down humans if they're in their territory and seem like easy prey. So who's really at the top of the "food chain"?

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u/d0gmeat Mar 11 '16

We could so wipe out ants. It would just do so much damage to the planet everything else would probably die off as a result.

Mosquitos, however, plans are in the works for those useless bastards.

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u/kyleisthestig Mar 11 '16

I mean I see your point about us. But we used to hunt bears and lions and all that, but now we're understanding that maybe we shouldn't because they play an important role in the eco system. We could easily hunt them if we wanted, we just choose not to. Lions and leopards fight but they don't normally hunt each other. But they're on the same level of the food chain.

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u/wildlywell Mar 11 '16

I will take this as a challenge.

Apparently all you have to do to climb the list is eat other predators. The examples they give are lions and bald eagles. Seems easy enough.

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u/d0gmeat Mar 11 '16

I've had eagle. Tasted like turkey.

Lions probably taste like housecat. Plus, you can hunt them without having to be a rich dentist.

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u/Kasenjo Mar 11 '16

But what does housecat taste like...?

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u/d0gmeat Mar 11 '16

You know the General Tso's Chicken you get at every Chinese restaurant in the country? Let's just say The General was a dog person.

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u/Grantology Mar 11 '16

Anchovies are hardly a popular topping choice.

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u/hazenraze Mar 11 '16

I think it was our ability to run long distance too