This is a wonderful article on these fascinating critters. Sometimes, I'm surprised at the things mother nature creates. Horrific and beautiful at the same time. π
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This is a wonderful article on these fascinating critters. Sometimes, I'm surprised at the things mother nature creates. Horrific and beautiful at the same time. π
Thank you, @litguru
I had to stop myself from making a value judgement as I wrote this. Even had to edit out a line to keep the post free of moralizing. They really are unpleasant critters. But, I'm sure they serve a function. I'm sure they add to the balance of nature. Just do it in a distasteful way:))
It is difficult not to anthropomorphize the behavior of animals. Ironically, researchers in fields like ethology, study animal behavior precisely because understanding the simpler behaviors of animals help us explain the more complex human behavior. For example, humans have a highly developed and codified sense of justice, right and wrong. We even help other species when we feel there is an imbalance. Seeing the little bee in distress made me shake my head at the "injustice" of it. How did we gain this sense of justice? We know other animals behave in ways that appear to suggest they're also making these "value judgement" as you accurately pointed out. There are many videos of cats, dogs, and other species helping each other out. It is understandable that animals may help members of their own species (for survival and reproductive success), but then why help members of other species? What is the evolutionary advantage? In any case, I'm going off on a tangent here, but the point is that understanding non-human animal behavior is an excellent way to understand our own.
Now my brains hurts, so I'm going to stare at the wall for a little while. :)
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