this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 hours ago

Well, they are kind of solitary animals. No one will warn them about something big getting close from behind.

[–] pinkystew@reddthat.com 15 points 11 hours ago (4 children)

No living thing has a feature "to" do anything. That implies decision making, which is intelligent design.

Tigers have spots on their ears, which can confuse attackers.

Tigers did not develop those spots "to" confuse attackers.

[–] homura1650@lemmy.world 17 points 10 hours ago

All models are wrong, but some are useful. Thinking of evolved features as having a purpose is wrong, but it is also incredibly useful.

Why do we have eyes? In some sense, there is no reason, just a sequence of random coincidences, combined with a slightly non-randon bias refered to as "survival of the fittest" (itself an incorrect model).

However, saying that we have eyes to see has incredible explanatory power, which makes it a useful model. Just like Newton's law of Universal gravity. We've known it that is wrong for a century at this point, but most of the time still talk as if it's true, because it is useful.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 30 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

I hear what you're saying, and you're 100% correct, but I think most people will realize it's a figure of speech, and easier to say than "Via the process of gene mutation trial and error over many, many generations of tigers, spots have developed on their ears that look like eyes, resulting in predation from behind being discourged."

[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

One way of thinking of it could be that since all of our intention and decision making originates in such a process, the line between them isn't that clear.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 6 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

Yes, they did though. That's the purpose of this evolutionary trait. I see what you're getting at, but you seem to be implying this was a concidence

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[–] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

The spots might be helpful for baby tigers?

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 27 points 13 hours ago

Their predators are other tigers. There are tribes in Asia who wear masks on the backs of their heads with large eyes to deter tiger attacks. Apparently the tiger is very much about stabbing you in the back, and not so big on open confrontation.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

You've never seen a mockingbird peck at a cat's butt all afternoon

[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 53 points 16 hours ago (2 children)
[–] LegoBrickOnFire@lemmy.world 25 points 16 hours ago

Tigers with horns 😨😨 ?

[–] kippinitreal@lemmy.world 19 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 18 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Wait until you learn about what dolphins sometimes do to their prey

[–] kippinitreal@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Something respectful &/or cute I am sure

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago

They boop them with their snoot.

[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 23 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Fun fact the South American short face bear is the only Ice aged giant that is thought not to be driven extinct by humans and fact humans could not hunt it, Tigers would be a pleasant snack for them.

[–] Towwebbed@lemmy.world 20 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Well that begs the question what the hell drove the short face bear to extinction? The long face bear?

[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 18 points 13 hours ago

Same thing that killed the humans, climate change.

[–] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 141 points 19 hours ago (3 children)
[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 4 points 11 hours ago

Look, I'm trying to lose the COVID weight, okay? Insults are unnecessary!

[–] geogle@lemmy.world 23 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Not even on the same continent. Hippos are in Africa and Tigers are in Asia. Pretty big desert in between

[–] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 22 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

The Indian ocean isn't a desert

[–] geogle@lemmy.world 11 points 15 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 62 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

This is the correct answer. Why are they so violent?

[–] cRazi_man@lemm.ee 104 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

They've been bullied and fat-shamed their whole lives and they've had enough.

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 16 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Incel hippos are jealous of good looking tigers getting laid

[–] boydster@sh.itjust.works 35 points 18 hours ago

To make sure the tigers don't start getting any ideas

[–] fsxylo@sh.itjust.works 21 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Herbivores have nothing to lose when hands need to be thrown.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 14 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

I just imagined a hippo with hands. Nightmare.

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[–] psmgx@lemmy.world 99 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Mango@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

Yeah, predators get excited when you turn around and start moving away. These eyes are just asking "what are you doing step bro?".

[–] Peer@discuss.tchncs.de 41 points 18 hours ago (4 children)
[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 17 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

in the Ganges Delta in India, where tigers living under protection in a reserve had been killing about 60 people a year.

Geez that's a lot.

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 24 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

I mean, deer kill about 400 people a year in the US and they aren't even trying. 280 million people live in the Delta alongside a predator that is actually trying to kill them, so it mkaes sense.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 9 points 16 hours ago

There's also a fuckton of deer and they're dumb as fuck.

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[–] BLAMM@lemmy.world 30 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Tigers are only CR4. There's lots of stuff more dangerous that that.

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, you think you’re hot shit as a tiger and then here comes a Hellwasp…

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 13 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Or feline AIDS. Can’t fool that with fake eyes.

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 17 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Wild tigers, as apex predators, have few natural threats. Their primary competitors include Asiatic wild dogs (dholes), which can harass tigers in packs.

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 2 points 7 hours ago

Who knew wild dogs could be such dholes

[–] Grass@sh.itjust.works 13 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

my new head canon is that tigers are so fed up with asiatic wild dogs that they started calling them d holes

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I've heard of A-holes and B-holes, but the existence of D-holes and the implied C-holes is news to me.

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[–] TOModera@lemmy.world 45 points 19 hours ago (6 children)

Probably humans, given they went from 100k to 5.6k in population in 100 years and are still in decline.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 25 points 17 hours ago (5 children)

That's not long enough to evolve something like this, though.

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[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 11 points 15 hours ago

Joe Exotic?

[–] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago

Do they have them when they are little too? Or maybe it worked out that it was less likely predators would yoink their babies because it seemed like they were always watching. Can't sneak up on someone with eyes on the back of their heads, that never close, even while sleeping.

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