[Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores?

Bruno · 06-10-2011, 06:27 AM

You don't need to be social while gathering food to be social. Housecats are the posterchild for this - they form colonies into the hundreds if there's enough food, they practice collective childrearing, social grooming, collective play as adults (without human contact)...

Housecats may have been manipulated by humans into becoming this social pouncing carnivore, but they're still a good example. They also provide an example of what might prompt this sort of stage in a species development - have a source of pouncable prey exist "in the thick" of a larger, highly social species that considers the prey to be undesirable parasites and the predator to be minimally-threatening.

cybermancer2k1 · 06-10-2011, 07:12 AM

I've seen film footage of tigers (not usually considered social) working together to bring down prey. But I'd think most animals probably form one-shot alliances when hungry enough.

Lord Carnifex · 06-10-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

Housecats may have been manipulated by humans into becoming this social pouncing carnivore, but they're still a good example. They also provide an example of what might prompt this sort of stage in a species development - have a source of pouncable prey exist "in the thick" of a larger, highly social species that considers the prey to be undesirable parasites and the predator to be minimally-threatening.

Upon a walk through Wikipedia, it appears that ferrets are similar.

ClayDowling · 06-10-2011, 02:10 PM

Feline sociability is not a human-engineered feature. Most wild cats behave in that way.

Domestic cats definitely hunt in pairs, including dividing the prey. They'll also form partnerships with other species, including humans (I used to act as beater for my cats) and dogs.

Kromm · 06-10-2011, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Domestic cats definitely hunt in pairs, including dividing the prey.

Yep. I've seen three cats hunting together, the old cats poking at the prey while the young, bitey one waited to pounce. I also saw two of my toms standing literally shoulder-to-shoulder to stare down an intruding cat. Cats are quite cooperative. All the talk of them being loners, selfish, etc. is humans not understanding cat behavior and projecting human motivations onto what they see.

Anthony · 06-10-2011, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Domestic cats definitely hunt in pairs, including dividing the prey.

So remember, if your cat leaves a mouse carcass on your pillow, that's just sharing.

lwcamp · 06-10-2011, 07:41 PM

For some additional oddness, you can get inter-species social carnivores. One well known example is coyotes and badgers. They team up to hunt ground squirrels and prairie dogs. Any rodents out in the open the coyote will run down, any that go to ground will be dug up by the badger.

Very similar is the partnership of groupers and moray eels. Morays hunt in crevices, groupers hunt in open water. The groupers chase prey into the crevices, and the morays flush the prey out into the open water. Prey has no place to hide. Similar associations are made between groupers and sea snakes.

(note - I am not claiming that any of these are necessarily pouncers)

Luke

EDIT - as an aside, GURPS space gives an example of Komodo dragons as the archetypical chaser. Hogwash. Dragons are as pouncer as they come. They wait in ambush along game trails, then take deer, swine, and dogs by surprise with an explosive burst of speed before the prey is even really aware of what is happening.

ClayDowling · 06-11-2011, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony

So remember, if your cat leaves a mouse carcass on your pillow, that's just sharing.

She never leaves it on the pillow. If she leave it, the trophy will be displayed by the back door. If it's something new and exciting though, she wants to bring it in the house. Last week it was a bull frog (we just moved to a house on a pond, and we have a lot of frogs). She charged past me, into the house, and set it down next to the dining room table.

Anders · 06-11-2011, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Domestic cats definitely hunt in pairs, including dividing the prey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony

So remember, if your cat leaves a mouse carcass on your pillow, that's just sharing.

No Anthony. It's a sign your cat is trying to kill you.

Zorian · 06-11-2011, 05:57 AM

I can't add anything to RL examples but check out the Kzin from Larry Nivan's Known Space. He has been writing in that setting since the early 60s.

06-10-2011, 06:27 AM	#1
Bruno Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada	Re: [Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores? You don't need to be social while gathering food to be social. Housecats are the posterchild for this - they form colonies into the hundreds if there's enough food, they practice collective childrearing, social grooming, collective play as adults (without human contact)... Housecats may have been manipulated by humans into becoming this social pouncing carnivore, but they're still a good example. They also provide an example of what might prompt this sort of stage in a species development - have a source of pouncable prey exist "in the thick" of a larger, highly social species that considers the prey to be undesirable parasites and the predator to be minimally-threatening. __________________ All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table A Wiki for my F2F Group A neglected GURPS blog

06-10-2011, 07:12 AM	#2
cybermancer2k1 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Washington	Re: [Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores? I've seen film footage of tigers (not usually considered social) working together to bring down prey. But I'd think most animals probably form one-shot alliances when hungry enough. __________________ "I am so old now. I used to have so much mercy." --The Doctor

06-10-2011, 02:10 PM	#4
ClayDowling Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ann Arbor, MI	Re: [Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores? Feline sociability is not a human-engineered feature. Most wild cats behave in that way. Domestic cats definitely hunt in pairs, including dividing the prey. They'll also form partnerships with other species, including humans (I used to act as beater for my cats) and dogs. __________________ Online Campaign Planning

06-10-2011, 07:41 PM	#7
lwcamp Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State	Re: [Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores? For some additional oddness, you can get inter-species social carnivores. One well known example is coyotes and badgers. They team up to hunt ground squirrels and prairie dogs. Any rodents out in the open the coyote will run down, any that go to ground will be dug up by the badger. Very similar is the partnership of groupers and moray eels. Morays hunt in crevices, groupers hunt in open water. The groupers chase prey into the crevices, and the morays flush the prey out into the open water. Prey has no place to hide. Similar associations are made between groupers and sea snakes. (note - I am not claiming that any of these are necessarily pouncers) Luke EDIT - as an aside, GURPS space gives an example of Komodo dragons as the archetypical chaser. Hogwash. Dragons are as pouncer as they come. They wait in ambush along game trails, then take deer, swine, and dogs by surprise with an explosive burst of speed before the prey is even really aware of what is happening. Last edited by lwcamp; 06-10-2011 at 07:46 PM.

06-11-2011, 05:57 AM	#10
Zorian Join Date: Feb 2006	Re: [Space] Social Pouncing Carnivores? I can't add anything to RL examples but check out the Kzin from Larry Nivan's Known Space. He has been writing in that setting since the early 60s.