Skills for TL0 Aliens

[Flyndaran]

That's a strange urban legend. How on Earth would one even prove an animal's thoughts let alone intentions when slipping?

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by PTTG

Some people are saying that their poor sense of touch is a serious problem but considering that terrestrial sloths sometimes mistake their own limbs for tree branches, it's not too far out there. They probably compensate with their excellent visual perception, and may have Techniques in Survival that replace touch-based examination with visual ones.

It's certainly possible to do everything by sight, but those are going to more likely be single tree abiding slow moving diurnal obligate creatures. If that's what one wants, then great. It wonderfully subverts the super agile monkeys in trees trope.

[AlexanderHowl]

I imagine that evolution would strongly select against fast tree dwellers who possessed poor tactile senses.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Yes, and we did not really do much until the vast majority of our predators went extinct.

Really? leopards, lions, tigers, bears, crocodiles, wolves, and hyenas seems like a pretty long list in the grand scheme of things. And most of the extinct predators you are referring to are variants of the above. I would hardly call that a "vast majority"

Those predators disappeared at about the same time humans really got going, but the cause and effect of that is at the very least disputed, and to be honest this is the first time I've heard the claim that "the large predators went extinct and humans started doing well". I usually hear it the other way around: "Humans started doing well and the large predators suspiciously went extinct"

Even living in the canopy, most monkeys end up as lunch for other creatures, it is just a matter of probability. Humans benefited from being large enough to use weapons to deal substantial damage to our predators, a ST 5 alien is not going do nearly as well.

Eventually, I suppose many do. On the other hand, most monkeys live long lifespans with only occasional deaths from predation. A baboon's average lifespan increases from 30 to 45 years in captivity, and that's a species that faces heavy predation pressure. Howler Monkeys are probably a better comparison, and usually their list of predators is pumas, jaguars, and eagles. Which are fairly rare animals, and if I'm being honest, are creatures that scare me.

[AlexanderHowl]

The large predators that exist nowadays have never been that problematic compared to their Ice Age relatives. American lions, cave bears, cave hyenas, dire wolves, giant cheetahs, etc. were much more frightening. For example, the giant cheetah was capable of moving 50 mph, massed 200 lbs, and could crush bone with their jaws, making them much more frightening than comparable felines today. Oh, and they preyed on humans throughout Europe and Asia, usually children because they were easy to carry off.

American lions were even worse. Imagine a 1,000 pound cougar and you will have the right idea. Cougars will go after children if they are hungry enough, an American lion would have regular eaten people if they had nothing better.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I usually hear it the other way around: "Humans started doing well and the large predators suspiciously went extinct"

Yeah, humans don't approve of being prey and have solutions for that problem.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

The large predators that exist nowadays have never been that problematic compared to their Ice Age relatives. American lions, cave bears, cave hyenas, dire wolves, giant cheetahs, etc. were much more frightening. For example, the giant cheetah was capable of moving 50 mph, massed 200 lbs, and could crush bone with their jaws, making them much more frightening than comparable felines today. Oh, and they preyed on humans throughout Europe and Asia, usually children because they were easy to carry off.

I'm not sure I buy that. Yes, the huge predators died out. But lions, leopards, tigers, wolves, cougars, and a bunch of other meat eaters stayed alive, and they were still feared into civilized times—in some cases, into modern history, despite the availability of firearms. We don't fear them much now (though people get killed by thinking that a bear or a pig is harmless), but "throwing people to the wolves" was a live metaphor in recent times.

On one hand, I don't think that wolves were so harmless that it wasn't worth anyone's time to hunt them down and kill them, considering that we have wolfhounds and huge sheep-guarding dogs that were bred to do just that. On the other, I think that if you can't exterminate ordinary timber wolves you're certainly not equipped to exterminate dire wolves, and likewise for other huge dangerous beasts of prey.

It seems at least equally likely that what did in the big predators was that humans (a) developed the ability to hunt larger game rather than just scavenging and (b) increased in numbers, so that they ecologically outcompeted the other species for the "big fierce hunter" niche.

[(E)]

Originally Posted by whswhs

SNIP

It seems at least equally likely that what did in the big predators was that humans (a) developed the ability to hunt larger game rather than just scavenging and (b) increased in numbers, so that they ecologically outcompeted the other species for the "big fierce hunter" niche.

There are few theories around that boil down to humans (and their animals) moved in from a different area and brought new and interesting diseases with them.

[Edit]
Telescopic vision is slightly unusual for jungle animals, telescopic vision is wasted somewhat when the furthest thing to look at is the next tree. That said there are reasons why they might have it, they may perch in the top of the canopy and keep lookout for flying predators.

[Flyndaran]

Quite a few of the megafauna died off due to climate change that only sort of correlated with humans coming due to said change opening pathways to such regions.
Either way, I think we mostly can agree things are complicated enough for humans and Earth history that it's trivial to define things for an alien species and planet however we want.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by (E)

...
[Edit]
Telescopic vision is slightly unusual for jungle animals, telescopic vision is wasted somewhat when the furthest thing to look at is the next tree. That said there are reasons why they might have it, they may perch in the top of the canopy and keep lookout for flying predators.

Acute Vision probably works just as well, if not better than, Telescopic Vision. It would cover close up as well as really far.