Scar
Super Freak
Re: SDCC Dinosauria: Dienosuchus vs. Parasaurolophus - ORDER NOW!! Link in 1st Post
Do you mean particular raptor species? Peregrine falcons are perhaps the most famous/infamous for having an extremely high kill ratio. Males of that species have a tendency to specialize in one particular prey species and regularly have a success rate in excess of 80%, which is absolutely staggering for an entire group collectively, rather than just one particularly experienced and deft individual. It's all highly dependent upon prey and the traits which females select for in males when females are the selective sex, which they abundantly are in nature. For a good counterexample, male crocodiles tend to be larger than females in that their prey is typically large terrestrial organisms known for putting up intense struggles; females which choose such males have a higher chance of having offspring that will express those traits and be more fit than other crocodiles in their environment. Lionesses also select for large males or at least males that are dominant and the most skilled combatants; reason here being that male lions aren't hunters as much as they are brawlers, and females choose males best capable of defending territories against conspecifics as well as other aggressive species in their environment. Sexually selective pressures are really, really interesting and they give a lot of insight into phenotypic characteristics, phylogeny, and behavior.
The tickets for The Two Towers were a gift I received for Christmas that, must to my dismay, I have to sell. It's a screening at the Wolf-Trap Filene Center in Vienna, VA. I really, really, reeeeeally wish there was some way that I could attend, as the showing is going to have a live orchestra for the score. I'm just going to be too busy with work in the office and in the field, as well as an upcoming course I decided to take. Just listed them on craigslist this morning, but for a fellow Freak I would certainly give first dibs!
Interesting. This ratio is unique to male raptors, you say? Do any other species have a reputation for putting out these numbers?
And what's this about Two Towers in DC? I'm not that far away, so I might have go in your stead.
Do you mean particular raptor species? Peregrine falcons are perhaps the most famous/infamous for having an extremely high kill ratio. Males of that species have a tendency to specialize in one particular prey species and regularly have a success rate in excess of 80%, which is absolutely staggering for an entire group collectively, rather than just one particularly experienced and deft individual. It's all highly dependent upon prey and the traits which females select for in males when females are the selective sex, which they abundantly are in nature. For a good counterexample, male crocodiles tend to be larger than females in that their prey is typically large terrestrial organisms known for putting up intense struggles; females which choose such males have a higher chance of having offspring that will express those traits and be more fit than other crocodiles in their environment. Lionesses also select for large males or at least males that are dominant and the most skilled combatants; reason here being that male lions aren't hunters as much as they are brawlers, and females choose males best capable of defending territories against conspecifics as well as other aggressive species in their environment. Sexually selective pressures are really, really interesting and they give a lot of insight into phenotypic characteristics, phylogeny, and behavior.
The tickets for The Two Towers were a gift I received for Christmas that, must to my dismay, I have to sell. It's a screening at the Wolf-Trap Filene Center in Vienna, VA. I really, really, reeeeeally wish there was some way that I could attend, as the showing is going to have a live orchestra for the score. I'm just going to be too busy with work in the office and in the field, as well as an upcoming course I decided to take. Just listed them on craigslist this morning, but for a fellow Freak I would certainly give first dibs!
