[ExI] Critter's Dilemma on the African Plain

[Lee Corbin]

The Avantguardian wrote (Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 3:43 PM)

> They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I have compiled some wild life
> videos from Africa that I think beautifully illustrate Critter's Dilemma in
> action. Some of these videos are very hard to explain in terms of traditional
> biology but are easily explained by the concept of strategy-shifting in
> Critter's Dilemma. What I want to emphasize is that there is a lot of rational
> decision-making, free agency, and cost-benefit analysis happening in these
> videos if you look closely enough. Evidently the law of the jungle is not quite
> as simple as once thought.

Your case is very persuasive!  Thanks especially, though, for your very, very
excellent summaries below, from those of us a little too impatient to sit through
videos:

> 1. Predator-prey dogma.
> This short video while breathtaking is the "traditional" view of what the
> relationship between a lion and a zebra is. Lion chases, zebra runs, lion
> scores a flawless takedown and enjoys lunch. 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGDEnpCgGOI
> 
> 2. Predator-prey becomes interspecies competition due to strategy shift.
> This video demonstrates that relationship #1 cannot be taken for granted not
> even by the king (or in this case a queen) of the jungle. Ignore what the
> commentator is saying and simply watch the zebra....

I relegate the rest of Stuart's nice descriptions to the codicil, below.
For now, look at

> Experienced safari guide *forces* lions to ignore him by first by communicating
> submission to them and then threatening to defect on them with a roll of toilet
> paper.

and

> Male human defects on male lion and *barely* escapes retaliation from dying
> lion seeking revenge. Can you feel the love tonight?

You apparently invite us to substitute the game theory term "defect"
for any act of aggression or failure to cooperate?  I have a bad feeling
about that, but cannot put it into words. (Perhaps lucky for me, since
I hope you don't take disagreement or challenge as defection. :-)

Usually the rich variety of words within a language are there for a 
reason. They did, after all, evolve, because it's seldom that a government,
(even the French government), or an influential individual will simply 
decree usage of words and get away with it.  So we have a lot of
highly nuanced English words that you're deliberately passing up. Well,
of course, maybe we ought to more often look at these things in game
theoretic terms, which may be your point.  But neologisms rarely work
out, you know, along with non-standard language uses.

Still, why look at the human/lion relationship as in any way whatsoever
a classic game?

Lee

> 2. Predator-prey becomes interspecies competition due to strategy shift.
> This video demonstrates that relationship #1 cannot be taken for granted not
> even by the king (or in this case a queen) of the jungle. Ignore what the
> commentator is saying and simply watch the zebra. How would one of the
> strongest and fastest zebras in the herd become separated from the herd unless
> it wanted to be? Does the zebra stallion look "panicked" or does it look like
> it is baiting a trap? Might the females and young in the herd have influenced
> this stallion's decision?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGAeRWwQ2mA&feature=related
> 
> 3. Lioness has a bad day. In this video a pride of lions takes down a cape
> buffalo. Although the buffalo knows escape is hopeless, it nonetheless defects
> and drags one of its predators to hell with it as any self-respecting critter
> should.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOq18oecT1A&feature=related
> 
> 4. A three way battle between a herd of buffalo, a pride of lions, and
> crocodiles over the life of a lone buffalo calf. Not every buffalo in the herd
> is related to the calf. What's going on here?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjibWWTevdA&feature=related
> 
> 5. Buffalo revenge served up COLD. And you thought genocide was a human
> invention?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRwTQcCH9UE&feature=related
> 
> 6. According to the wikipedia article on elephants, "Healthy adult elephants
> have no natural predators." What does evolution and Critter's Dilemma have to
> say about that? That there is no substitute for numbers and teamwork when it
> comes to forcing cooperation from *big* critters.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOE4RzS7JPY&feature=related
> 
> 7. In this video, you see a pride of lions try to take down a full grown
> giraffe. The females get thrown around like rag dolls until the much larger
> males get off their lazy butts and lend a paw. I guess the males decided that
> they would not get supper otherwise. Just goes to show you that the "Battle of
> the Sexes" is just another game of Critter's Dilemma.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAqrVRi6tMU&feature=related
> 
> 8. Interspecies Samaritanism. I know that Samaritanism is not really a
> technical term, but what else would you call these? Hamiltonian kin-selecting
> altruism just doesn't cut the mustard here.
> 
> Elephant rescues buffalo from lion then administers first aid by kicking dust
> on its bleeding wounds.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhHXeJZzJwo
> 
> Hippo rescues impala from crocodile and then tries to resuscitate it.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENWp0Q2RkTA&feature=related
> 
> Leopard kills baboon and then adopts baboon's baby.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpfvkeo0KBc
> 
> 9. Humans and lions playing Critter's Dilemma in the savage garden.
> 
> Tourist cooperates with lions by turning his back on them, making himself
> appear smaller by crouching, and then meekly allowing himself to be eaten. I
> would be surprised if the game wardens didn't have to kill that whole pride of
> lions because of this fool demonstrating how easy prey humans are to them. If
> you learn nothing else from this video, it should be to *NEVER* turn your back
> on a predator. That is how they are used to seeing their prey; from behind. 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR_Lva7XXlY&feature=related
> 
> Experienced safari guide *forces* lions to ignore him by first by communicating
> submission to them and then threatening to defect on them with a roll of toilet
> paper. Bluffing works in CD as well as it does in poker.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQs9W9MmXgs
> 
> Male human defects on male lion and *barely* escapes retaliation from dying
> lion seeking revenge. Can you feel the love tonight?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQsTGIvmp90
> 
> 
> Stuart LaForge
> alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu