wtf
from fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz on 22 Jun 12:41
https://mander.xyz/post/32593727

#science_memes

threaded - newest

pennomi@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 12:55 next collapse

Dogs do love a good jog though. Give that good boi a bit of kibble and then see how he feels.

DaddleDew@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 12:56 next collapse

“He’s running so slow…”

1 hour later

“How can he still be running like that?”

scytale@lemmy.zip on 22 Jun 13:24 next collapse

“I don’t know why they’re running, but let’s chase them!”

Oisteink@feddit.nl on 22 Jun 13:25 next collapse

They are animals and cant understand cause and effect. With nothing to chase or hunt you expire as a blob of fat

Mothra@mander.xyz on 22 Jun 13:32 next collapse

I know it’s a joke. But would a wolf consider a human an apex predator? What about bears? Do these animals fear humans? I can’t say I’m familiar with them. I figured they wouldn’t, in most circumstances. I would think their default stance towards us is that we’re their prey

Collatz_problem@hexbear.net on 22 Jun 14:11 next collapse

Bears usually avoid humans, unless very hungry, because those who didn’t avoid us, didn’t tend to live very long.

Saleh@feddit.org on 22 Jun 14:21 next collapse

We are certainly not their prey and without modern urban sprawl forcing animals into urbanized areas they would avoid humans as much as possible and this has been true for thousands of years.

Humans are the ones wielding fire after all.

shalafi@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 15:01 next collapse

The bears and coyotes around here hide from me! Even if I try and creep on 'em, they still usually sense me and run.

SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de on 22 Jun 16:32 next collapse

“ah shit, it’s that weird human again. Better hide or it will get awkward”

clockworkrat@slrpnk.net on 22 Jun 16:46 collapse

Maybe put your dick away then

shalafi@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 18:38 collapse

Just giving the boys some air! Some animals are so damned judgemental.

leftzero@lemmynsfw.com on 22 Jun 20:46 next collapse

Most animals know humans are too much trouble to mess with.

Sure, you can kill one human. But next thing you know your whole species has gone extinct, or worse, has been domesticated into pocket yappy dogs that can’t breathe properly.

In places where we’ve been around long enough staying away from humans has practically been bred into every surviving predator’s instincts by now (which is what makes polar bears so terrifying, they’re about the only dangerous predator that doesn’t have this instinct yet, and probably never will, now that murdering whole species has become a bit of a bad look); anything that considered us prey and didn’t learn not to simply doesn’t exist anymore.

Wolves in particular (in the few places where they survive) definitely know not to mess with us, except maybe in the frozen depths of Canada, and so do most bears (again, with possible exceptions in the least populated bits of North America) except polar ones.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 13:06 collapse

Large predators have a species memory that tells them in general messing with a human scent can easily lead to a bad day for you. Because we have spent millennia hunting and killing them. So they have learned to avoid us directly.

This does not mean that that in certain instances, such as starvation or if they feel cornered and trapped, that you can’t get hurt by them. So when I go out into the forest, and where I live we have black bears, wolves, and now permanent cougars-- and not the ones you might find in a bar on Friday nights either --the only one of those three I find a bit dicey to be around is the cougars. Bears and wolves really don’t like people and make themselves very scarce very fast once they know you are there if there is an open escape route they can take.

Big cats, on the other hand don’t appear to be the brightest bulbs in the box. And tend to be more of an issue for humans mucking about in the wilds where the cats are found. When I do venture out into areas that I have seen sign or even worse, spotted a cat, I do tend to carry a pistol for self defense in those areas. I’ve not needed to use it and very much hope not to ever need it. But being ‘forearmed is to to be forewarned’ so to speak.

hsr@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 22 Jun 13:33 next collapse

I mean, if animals engage in pretend fights and other forms of play, it seems that they can on some level grasp the idea of practicing or doing something for fun.

snootchiebootchies@lemmynsfw.com on 23 Jun 10:21 collapse

Run…for FUN? What the hell kind of fun is that?

Pornacount128@lemmynsfw.com on 24 Jun 12:00 collapse

I just want you to know, I know what you’re referencing

KurtVonnegut@mander.xyz on 22 Jun 13:47 next collapse

Conserving energy is not really our thing.

ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 14:43 next collapse

If I need more energy I’ll just set something on fire

notabot@piefed.social on 22 Jun 15:56 collapse

The thing is, humans are astonishingly good at conserving energy when running. We can literally run prey to death by just keeping on going when most animals run out of energy.

Spacehooks@reddthat.com on 22 Jun 17:05 collapse

Sweat offers cooling bonuses.

Something about being upright too but I don’t recall.

Jiggle_Physics@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 17:22 next collapse

Standing upright simultaneously exposes more skin surface area to the flow of air, while minimizing the skin’s exposure to direct sunlight.

ikidd@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 01:48 collapse

Bipedal running gains a lot of energy just by falling forward rather than pushing forward every step.

474D@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 14:19 next collapse

Whoever made this has never met a dog

Jordan117@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 16:15 collapse

Yeah, this post shows a tragic lack of familiarity with the concept of zoomies.

troyunrau@lemmy.ca on 22 Jun 15:02 next collapse

One time, I was in the arctic doing some research. On a snowmobile, in winter, we crest a hill and see a couple of wolves pigging out on a caribou. I’m riding in the toboggan, and I start telling at the driver: “go go go!” They proceeded to chase our snowmobile for like a mile, with no hope at all of catching us, but running anyway. Like dogs chasing tires, I think they had no choice. Instincts are strong.

icelimit@lemmy.ml on 22 Jun 15:22 next collapse

If an apex predator is running, maybe keep up.

iheartneopets@lemm.ee on 22 Jun 15:40 next collapse

I mean, the ability to run long distances without tiring is kind of what makes humans an apex predator. We can out-endurance just about every other creature. Most ancient human hunting techniques involved just wounding an animal, and then literally chasing it until it got too tired to keep going.

Wolves are very similar, which is what made us such natural hunting companions. The co-evolution of humans and dogs is an extremely interesting rabbit hole, if anyone is looking for one.

All that to say, the wolf would understand the need to run more than just about any other animal. A bear would work better here. A wolf would just see us running and think ‘game recognizes game’, just like they already did eons ago :3

makyo@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 16:19 next collapse

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/e7099852-83af-4d4d-8a3c-cec2e3ed24ea.jpeg">

TheBeege@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 04:33 collapse

I love this. Thank you

SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de on 22 Jun 16:30 next collapse

involved just wounding an animal

not even wounding. Just persistent tracking and following. Most prey animals can run away quickly, but need lots of rest.

Humans can just keep going. And going. And going. Until the prey just is too exhausted to run.

iheartneopets@lemm.ee on 22 Jun 16:54 next collapse

Yes, very true! I almost added that when writing my comment, but didn’t want to blather on too long in a comment about a meme haha

raltoid@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 16:58 next collapse

It’s why the trope of an enemy that never stops/is endless is so terrifying, and thus common in media.

ouRKaoS@lemmy.today on 22 Jun 18:04 collapse

That’s why you can’t take your eyes off the snail!

JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca on 22 Jun 19:03 next collapse

That’s actually the decoy snail

OpenStars@piefed.social on 23 Jun 02:28 collapse

<img alt="img" src="https://i.imgflip.com/9y7up5.jpg">

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 22:24 collapse

Pay some college students to cast the snail in epoxy.

user224@lemmy.sdf.org on 22 Jun 17:17 next collapse

Got it.

I am prey.

SabinStargem@lemmy.today on 22 Jun 17:31 collapse

I guess the Energizer Bunny was an evolution that came about, due to humanity’s hunting style…

Spacehooks@reddthat.com on 22 Jun 17:02 next collapse

That how traditional zombies hunt ppl. Slow and inevitable.

billwashere@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 17:15 collapse

No, no I didn’t need that rabbit hole…

(spends the next hour reading about it)

Johandea@feddit.nu on 22 Jun 15:41 next collapse

Jogging from the perspective of non-human animals

FTFY

GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip on 22 Jun 15:49 collapse

🤓☝️

Gsus4@mander.xyz on 22 Jun 15:59 collapse

Yeah, some humans also wonder why jogging is a thing.

TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 17:34 next collapse

So this is pretty neat:

science.org/…/born-run-early-endurance-running--m…

Humans aren’t good at running fast, but we are good at running for a long time for long distances, so it’s thought that we would just run after things until they got tired.

So like you know how people in horror movies would run and then look over their shoulder and Jason is somehow still there?

TheLowestStone@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 17:43 next collapse

Back in my reddit days I wrote a long comment about the fact that zombies are scary because they are the ultimate persistence hunters.

TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 18:36 next collapse

That is scarier to me than the fast zombies.

Klear@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 18:50 next collapse

I mean, them being walking corpses might also have something to do with it…

JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca on 22 Jun 19:02 next collapse

I remember reading that

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 23:28 collapse

Zombies aren’t scary. They’re popular movie monsters because, while looking vaguely human, they’re sufficiently “othered” that you can kill them without remorse (thus acting as a convenient stand-in for other groups that the audience wishes they could do that to) and because they represent an apocalypse that kills most of the people but leaves the stuff behind, meaning that you don’t have to deal with society anymore but you’ll still easily have a roof over your head and food on your table (albeit mostly canned food.)

Taalnazi@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 23:46 collapse

Huh, never thought about it that way. Great metaphor, tbh.

ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca on 22 Jun 17:59 next collapse

It’s a consequence of bipedalism, less energy consumption to run but also slower

JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 19:32 next collapse

Yea but also tools

We don’t have to stop for water, we can bring some

Same for food

Our preys didn’t have such luck

exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 22 Jun 19:40 collapse

It’s a few things that stem from bipedalism:

  • We can run and breathe entirely separately. Most quadrupeds lack the ability to run and take breaths independently of the pace of each step. Watching cheetahs sprint, for example, show that they have no choice but to exhale every time their legs come together and inhale every time their legs push apart.
  • Running on our hind legs only frees up our hands to be able to use tools and weapons, maybe even water containers for drinking on the go.
  • We can see further by standing up, and can make tactical decisions based on terrain, while still running pretty much full speed.

Combined with our unusual ability to cool ourselves by sweating, this gives us an advantage over pretty much any animal in the heat. Wolves and horses can still outrun humans in the cold, but lack the cooling mechanisms to maintain pace in the same heat that we can.

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 22:22 next collapse

We also have by far the best throwing game in the world. Some animals can spit with reasonable accuracy, some apes can kind of lob shit in a general direction, and there’s that one lizard that can spray blood from its eye, but nothing in the animal kingdom past or present has a human’s innate ability for ranged attack. The average man can throw a fist sized rock hard and accurate enough to crack a skull from 20 yards with his bare hand. And we’ve spent the last 10,000 years inventing newer and more impressive ways of throwing stuff.

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 23:32 next collapse

Humans domesticated dogs for their ability to hunt by scent. Dogs domesticated humans for their ability to throw a tennis ball.

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 23:50 next collapse

Cats purr and get free shit.

exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Jun 13:56 collapse

Cats keep rodents under control so that our stored grain isn’t destroyed or contaminated.

captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works on 24 Jun 18:44 collapse

Mine doesn’t. She just yells at me when she wants Fancy Feast.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 12:17 collapse

That and the easy free meals and wamr place to sleep for not much effort in return.

leftzero@lemmynsfw.com on 23 Jun 07:07 collapse

lizard that can spray blood from its eye, but nothing in the animal kingdom past or present has a human’s innate ability for ranged attack

I don’t know, a hawk plummeting from the sky at 190km/h onto something the size of a small rodent is kind of impressive, too, if you count the bird throwing itself as throwing…

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 23:31 collapse

Running on our hind legs only frees up our hands to be able to use tools and weapons, maybe even water containers for drinking on the go.

And for wanking, although that may just be an adaptation to compensate for our inability to lick our own dicks.

Jankatarch@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 20:13 collapse

Funny enough there is another animal I know that can sweat, have more endurance than humans, and much faster than humans. Horses.

Imagine you fear getting caught by a horse or a human and then suddenly a human riding a horse shows up.

sprite0@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jun 20:29 next collapse

humans can beat a horse in a marathon!

en.m.wikipedia.org/…/Man_versus_Horse_Marathon

www.managainsthorse.net/result.html

Test_Tickles@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 20:57 next collapse

That’s pretty cool. However, no human has ever won by more than 15min, and every horse has a 15min delay built into their times. So even the biggest winning margin of nearly 11 minutes would have lost to the horse if they had started at the same time.

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 23:21 next collapse

The horses also all had humans on their backs. To my knowledge, none of the humans had horses on their backs.

Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net on 23 Jun 05:28 collapse

For it to be scientifically accurate of a comparison, the ratio of weight:human needs to be equal to that of rider:horse, not a direct flip.

In case my phrasing is confusing, to illustrate what I mean here is an example: a 200lb horse carrying a 100lb human is equivalent to a 100lb human carrying a 50lb weight.

wischi@programming.dev on 26 Jun 04:35 collapse

Things don’t scale linearly like that. Many things are proportional to either the surface (so x²) or volume (x³) or complex combinations of those.

Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net on 26 Jun 05:21 collapse

Oh true true. I forgot about the square-cube law.

[deleted] on 22 Jun 23:35 next collapse

.

jboy@lemmy.sdf.org on 23 Jun 19:44 next collapse

The Western States trail in the California Sierras used to be where a 100-mile horse race took place that horse and rider had to complete in 24 hours. At some point in the 1970s one of the riders decided not to take a horse, and he finished in 23 hours on foot. Now it’s an annual footrace that the winner finishes in about 14 hours.

exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Jun 13:54 collapse

This study analyzes historical results of three different man versus horse races (in Wales, in Virginia, and in California). The data shows that human performance decreases with temperature, but less so than horses, so that 30°C is approximately where the best humans can start outperforming the best horses that year.

I would think that even with 15 minutes of intermittent pauses/checks, that time is still productive for cooling the animal and would add less than 15 minutes to the theoretical total if they were allowed to run the whole time.

leftzero@lemmynsfw.com on 23 Jun 07:02 collapse

Also in very short races (up to 100m) if the human is an olympic athlete, though mostly because momentum is a bitch and it takes time for the horse to accelerate all that mass, and by the time it’s done the race is already over (it also probably helps that the athlete knows what they’re doing while the horse is just along for the ride and wondering where it can get some grass).

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 23 Jun 14:48 collapse

Horses sweat? Huh.

ThunderclapSasquatch@startrek.website on 25 Jun 16:00 collapse

Yeah it turns to foam especially under saddles

peteyestee@feddit.org on 22 Jun 19:59 next collapse

I say this to myself when I see people jogging and I really just want to yell “what are you running from!?”

TheFrirish@jlai.lu on 22 Jun 20:07 next collapse

They’re running from health problems

match@pawb.social on 22 Jun 20:28 next collapse

And other problems

Unbecredible@lemm.ee on 23 Jun 00:59 collapse

Only to be tackled by a car crash at 47 yo.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 23 Jun 14:58 collapse

tackled by a car crash

Not sure I’ve ever seen it phrased that way…

drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 20:37 next collapse

‘Looking like you fatass’

noredcandy@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 22:29 collapse
notarobot@lemm.ee on 22 Jun 20:50 next collapse

Let’s say it’s part of a mating ritual. I know this is not true, but I believe it gets the point across.

T156@lemmy.world on 22 Jun 21:45 next collapse

Other animals get zoomies too.

nucleative@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 02:22 next collapse

So apex that most of us outsource our hunting and farming, which makes us fat and slow unless we purposefully burn energy for no other purpose than to burn it.

DarthFrodo@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 11:17 next collapse

So apex that even hunters need firearms because they’re not fit enough to hunt without them nowadays, and unable to improvise and use self made weapons like the og hunters did.

I guess people that drive a forklift are “apex powerlifters” too.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 12:05 collapse

Smart apex hunters always conserve as much energy as they can during a hunt. Because you don’t know when your next meal might show up. And firearms do make hunting a more sure thing. Hunting game, of any kind, is high risk-- higher reward effort. Most hunters go home empty handed or with little to show for the effort. But, if you do get it right, the effort can be handsomely rewarded.

So if you are smart enough to develop ranged weapons, you eagerly use them to hunt supper.

DarthFrodo@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 14:27 next collapse

But could the average hunter still hunt without the help of modern technology? Those who are entirely unable to do so are obviously not apex predators.

A lion can hunt any day without relying on a rifle, the vast majority of hunters could not.

So if you are smart enough to develop ranged weapons

Hunters that can build their own bows or spears and are able to hunt with them are genuine apex predators, that’s fair.

Those who are completely reliant on industrially produced high tech firearms bought in a store, and would be outcompeted by any house cat without them, are not.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 24 Jun 09:05 collapse

A lion can hunt because they come with weapons biologically attached. Humans not so much. And even you could fashion a spear with little effort. Which by your definition would make you a apex predator. And it did so for millennia.

I’m an old toolmaker that still has a small shop. I could make firearms from scratch if I wanted to. There is nothing special or complex about them. But I choose to purchase them from stores. So perhaps that demotes me from being a apex predator.

exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Jun 13:43 collapse

In order to make a firearm from scratch you must first create the universe.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 25 Jun 11:39 collapse

In order to bake an apple pie you must also create the universe.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 24 Jun 10:12 collapse

Seafood requires far less effort to collect. Make lobster traps and trotlines which are catching food while you can do other tasks at the same time. Seaweed for some veggies on the side.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 25 Jun 11:45 collapse

Seafood requires a lot of expensive resources to acquire. Boats, nets, traps, baits, access to the water, and not to mention the inherent risk of being on the ocean. Better to hunt herbivores on land.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 25 Jun 16:16 collapse

Sure you can spend a lot if you want, but I have caught crabs with a bit of string. Seen people catch stuff bare handed as well.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 11:36 collapse

Fishing is fun and good, but you still need access to water with a fish living in it. But a sharp stick or a rock is still cheaper and easier. Even a bow and arrow is very low tech and easily fashioned.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 26 Jun 14:36 collapse

Well I live on the coast in the UK, so there is quite a bit of access to water. But even inland you should have lakes/rivers with fish in them too, even if they can be a bit harder to catch.

Not sure there, most seafishing methods are illegal on freshwater here.

Bluewing@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 12:35 collapse

I live in Minnesota USA-- The Land of 10,000 lakes. It’s actually 14,380 bodies of water 10 acres or larger. 117,000 if you add the waterbodies/ponds smaller than 10 acres. I’m sitting in my house drinking my tea and looking at the lake I live on. Minnesotans own 14,505 registered watercraft per 100,000 people-- the most in the US. And all of us spend LOT of time fishing on them. But it would be extremely illegal to use nets or traps to fish for them. (There are carve outs for Native Americans to do some limited netting).

So historically, eating fish on a non-commercial scale has been an important thing in this region since before European settlers showed up. But it has never been the main source of meat due to the general extra work it takes. It’s still easier to stick an arrow, (even a well thrown rock), into rabbit or squirrel. And a far bigger payout in calories to shoot that arrow into a white tail deer, elk, or moose with less effort than a fish.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 27 Jun 17:47 collapse

Lakes are more limited than the sea though, I know here there are significantly fewer restrictions on sea fishing than fresh water. I can throw 50 traps off a kayak in the sea and I don’t even need a license or permit.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 23 Jun 14:47 collapse

I mean yes, literally… We were able to completely supplant the natural order. For better or worse.

TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee on 23 Jun 02:37 next collapse

They are running from existential dread.

petersr@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 03:50 collapse

So we are the prey?

Syltti@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 10:56 collapse

Always have been.

eestileib@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 23 Jun 03:23 next collapse

Jogging is practice for how humans killed pretty much all the megafauna in the world: exhaustion hunting.

xiwi@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Jun 09:21 collapse

Also fire probably. Lots and lots of fire

ZeffSyde@lemmy.world on 24 Jun 09:40 next collapse

I think scaring them over Cliff sides came into okay as well, though you aren’t wrong.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 24 Jun 09:57 collapse

Pointy sticks.

xiwi@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Jun 11:14 collapse

damn those pointy sticks said the animal

God_Is_Love@reddthat.com on 23 Jun 05:23 next collapse

I cannot stop laughing 😂

Personally I think humans run because they are a species with enough cognitive abilities to be masochists

dingus@lemmy.world on 23 Jun 17:26 next collapse

As someone who started running last year because it’s supposedly “good for you”, I’m inclined to agree lol

vga@sopuli.xyz on 24 Jun 09:16 collapse

It’s because we grew out of having to do physical work 8-12 hours every day just to stay alive.

God_Is_Love@reddthat.com on 25 Jun 02:00 collapse

I actually love physical work! I just hate running 😆

[deleted] on 24 Jun 09:27 next collapse

.

ZeffSyde@lemmy.world on 24 Jun 09:32 next collapse

My favorite is to shout out, ‘What are you running from!’ when people jog by.

Nalivai@discuss.tchncs.de on 24 Jun 09:42 next collapse

“Therapy was also an option”

theblips@lemm.ee on 24 Jun 12:43 collapse

I tried and even the shrink told me to exercise and eat better. It’s so over bros

chevy9294@monero.town on 24 Jun 13:27 collapse

My answer would be “You!”

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz on 24 Jun 09:56 next collapse

Animals understand play. Although not sure where the ball is.

Ray3x10e8@feddit.nl on 24 Jun 10:18 collapse

You know where the balls are (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

andybytes@programming.dev on 24 Jun 10:10 next collapse

I can’t see why anyone would down vote

Handmaid@lemmy.zip on 24 Jun 10:35 next collapse

Run for fun? What the hell kinda fun is that?!

1hitsong@lemmy.ml on 24 Jun 14:46 collapse

Here’s to ya’ blacksmith 🥃

the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world on 24 Jun 12:03 next collapse

I also get confused when I see people jogging, don’t they know lounging around eating snacks is way more fun?

eldain@feddit.nl on 24 Jun 12:11 collapse

Human zoomies feel great :)