Predatory Behavior Essay

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The predatory behavior of animals is of such value to natural selection itself that human beings are now attempting to reach back to primal roots to benefit from predatory, animalistic instincts. The U.S. military is currently experimenting with the somewhat lofty prospect of updating drone technology based on the behavior of falcons. These predatory instincts, though, are the product of what experts call dominance hierarchies in the animal kingdom, and these hierarchies are socially reflective of those historically observed among human nationalities, ethnic groups and religious groups. Individuals within any animal population may be inclined to dominate the population and its ecosystem by monopolizing both resources and sexual partners. …show more content…

The dominant individuals are always the most fit animals in their species’ population, and they have, therefore, the best chance of surviving day to day and procreating. Not only that but these animals are also more inclined to pursue prey than their peers because of their pre-established dominance. In other words, these hierarchies greatly affect how aggressive any individual is relative to the rest of the population, which determines predatory …show more content…

“Our model not only helps researchers design future studies on dominance hierarchies, it can also tell us something about how confident we can be about the results of past studies.” The researchers actually made their model by simulating interactions between artificial individuals, assigning rank to each one. An algorithm governed the results, and each rank was allotted a certain number of wins that the algorithm would automatically generate. This enabled them to figure out how much data was still needed to confidently infer the right structure of an animal group based on how steep the target hierarchy is. They shared their data via the online, scientific platform, Open Science Framework, and they included a free download that helps people conduct their own studies based on

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