Animals are more afraid of you than you are of them. But why?
Evolution is to thank for the multiple reasons people are not often prey.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFBrown bear 747 stands in a river hunting for salmon to fatten up before hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, US, September 20, 2020.(photo credit: COURTESY OF US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Mankind is practically defenseless. So what's stopping bears and cougars from consuming every hiker they encounter? According to Live Science, evolution is to thank for the multiple reasons people are not often prey. The human ability to walk upright, rather than on all four limbs, is threatening to predators, they reported.Additionally, humans and chimps have evolved into social creatures. Traveling and living in groups poses a threat to beasts, Live Science noted, citing a 2019 study published in the journal Ecology Letters. In the study, researchers played sounds of human voices through speakers in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Findings revealed that the sound of human chatter in groups was enough to keep away small predators, like the bobcat, and even the larger puma. Lastly, the development of weapons that can be used from afar, such as the bow and gun, have provided humans the materials to fight back should a carnivore attack.
