[ExI] Critter's Dilemma on the African Plain

[The Avantguardian]

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.

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. 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

"The weariest and most loathed worldly life
That age, ache, penury and imprisonment
Can lay on nature is a paradise
To what we fear of death." 

-William Shakespeare