4/18 Why did the big cats survive (Tiger, Lion) but the big dogs
didn't?
\_ maybe the big dogs were in areas good for human agriculture,
and so were actively hunted, whereas the big cats were either
on continents not as effected by widescale agriculture, or were
in niches that helped them survive like jungles and mountains.
\_ This happened to lions in Europe and elsewhere... the African
ones survived because of the vast wilderness areas. But now
they're relagated to dwindling preserves. Tigers survived in
some large jungles but humans have caught up to them now too.
Those animals all need very large habitats and herd animals to
prey on. Those herds will all be replaced with McDonald's
cow factories.
\_ Survival of the fittest-- homo sapien. YAY we're ALL WINNERS!
\_ For tigers, I think it needs several sq. miles of territory
*per tiger* to survive. For lions, since they live in groups,
I guess the area needed is smaller.
\_ They need pretty huge areas too. In the small preserves
they get under pressure from hyenas etc. and easy prey is
harder so they get injured more. If you consider the area
of the whole ecosystem it needs to be friggin huge.
\_ Several hundred square miles is more like it. It
depends on how food-rich an area is. Tiger territories
are anywhere from 8 to 400 square miles. Lions need
about 15-100 square miles per pride. I assume it is
less because big game is plentiful in most of Africa.
\_ bigger teeth? dumbed downed by human domestication?
\_ God didn't want them to.
\_ the big dogs did, they're called wolves. - danh
\_ I was under the impression that dogs and bears are relatively recent
relatives, evolutionarily speaking. So the primordial dog-bears
diverged into wolves/jackals/coyotes on one side and bears on the
other.
\_ Bear dog!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/evidence/prog3/page5.shtml |