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Re: Huge Freakin' Snake!



--- On Thu, 2/5/09, Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au> wrote:

> Here's what happens when a powerful and agile endotherm
> (in this case a Jaguar) decides to take 
> on a large ectotherm (an anaconda):
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBebLguAfwg
> 
> The snake easily outweighs the jaguar, yet it's far too
> concerned about trying to escape to make 
> any serious attempt at throwing some coils around it's
> attacker.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yet just a few videos over there is a filmed piece showing a python attacking 
and killing a leopard (I'd link to it here, but like so many of these films, it 
is disgustingly exploitative; so I'd rather not). 

The inherent problem with animal vs comparisons like Animal Face-Off, or 
Jurassic Fight Club (and the main reason why they are utterly pointless) is 
that the outcome of each situation is going to depend on a wide variety of 
unique factors (size, age, environment, numbers, relative health). 

In the case of evenly matched opponents, it usually boils down to which one 
"wants it" more. 

The best example I have found for this, would be a shark documentary that 
started with a tiger shark chasing down a loggerhead. The shark had the turtle 
cornered in the shallows when the turtle started chasing after the shark. After 
a few bites on the gills, the tiger shark gave up and left. Tiger sharks are 
regular predators of loggerheads, yet despite this, the outcome was not 
predetermined. 

This goes all the more so for predators that don't normally hunt one another. 
Thermophysiology has nothing to do with it.

Jason