A new study shows that our species are the most efficient predators in the world. Author describes humans as “being super predators”.
Over 2,000 interactions between predators and their prey were examined in the research and it was found that not only humans kill at a much faster rate, but that are hunting and fishing patterns have a devastating influence over other species living on the planet.
Our consumption levels can directly alter the course of the evolution of the species we hunt and kill. This behavour of humans had led to the endangerement and even to the disappearence of many species throughout time.
While other species tend to hunt the young and small animals, humans will seek to kill the more mature animals, that usually happen to be in their reproductive prime. The study suggested that humans tend to kill up to 15 times as many mature animals as any other predator on Earth.
The research’s lead author says that thanks to our superior intelligence and our use of tools, we now stand out as the most unnatural and unusual predators. Our hunting patterns change the rules of the game, and Darimont claims that humans are the “super predators” of this planet.
The extent of natural damage generated by our practices is unlike of any other species. Although humans are ultimate predators, they have the unusual ability to feel the impact of their predatory dominance and consciously react just in time to minimize the consequences. If we weren’t capable of readjusting our predatory behavior, Boris Worm, professor at Dalhousi University, believes that our coexistence with other wildlife populations would not have been possible.
Statistics show that the main cause of the decline in population of several large terrestrial species such as elephants, bears and tigers, as well as of the larger fish from the oceans, are humans. Additional human actions that led to their downfall are the global warming and the human habitat invasion.
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