Lets say a fat man that runs like a horse and a little skinny kid that doesnt run very fast are standing next to each other and a hungry lion came up, and the kid and the man took off running in opposite directions. Would the lion go after the fat guy cause there is more food? or would he take the little skinny kid cause he would be easier to catch?
2007-01-12 20:22:09 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
The skinny kid would be toast. The goal in obtaining food is to provide nutrition and energy for the body. In the process of getting that food you want to expand the least amount of energy possible. If you're spending more energy than there is in the food, you will eventually starve. You also have to take into account the animal losing water and having to resupply that, so the initial costs of obtaining the food aren't always all visible. Animals like lions will attack herds of animals, they may already know if there is a slower animal in the group. They'll chase off the faster/wiser animals and go after the stragglers....natural selection at it's finest.
2007-01-12 20:36:43 · answer #1 · answered by jimmytownnative 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because the situations in the wild are usually dire, a carnivore will always take the easiest prey.
Hunting is a very long and arduous task. An animal, such as a lion will consume a lot of energy stalking prey. To ensure the highest degree of success predators will target the old, the young, the sick, the maimed, or the otherwise handicapped.
By doing so, they not only ensure a meal for themselves, but they also further the survival of the fittest, as the predators weed out the weakest links.
2007-01-13 04:35:29 · answer #2 · answered by Evan P 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The lion or any animal on a hunt goes for the creature that provides food but is least likely to become a threat during capture. The fat guy might be stronger and could overpower the lion.
2007-01-13 07:23:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They go for the easiest kill - which in truth would still be the fat guy. (Fat people tend to be slow runners, or at least tire out quickly.) The less energy they expend in catching prey, the more is left for other things like raising young. Only humans, and to some extent other intelligent animals (such as baboons and dolphins), appear to make more complex evaluations such as the magnitude of the reward or the probability of resistance.
2007-01-13 04:38:58 · answer #4 · answered by dukefenton 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Easiest meal.
2007-01-13 04:30:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Animals go after the easiest meal they can get...so do we.
2007-01-13 04:27:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
haven't you ever heard the saying: if a lion is chasing you, you don't have to be faster than the lion, you just have to be faster than the guy next to you.
2007-01-13 04:49:57 · answer #7 · answered by Aaron 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The easy kill. They don't have the hang ups people do. Don't you ever watch National Geographic ?
2007-01-13 04:31:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i think they just go for any meal
2007-01-13 04:26:22 · answer #9 · answered by Goat 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the easiest....young, weak, injured get eaten first.
2007-01-13 16:29:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋