Today I was wondering, have some animals evolved to be perceived as cute by humans (thereby making it more likely to survive encounters with them)? As I was adoring my cats I started thinking how being cute is an excellent survival mechanism considering how dominant humans are in the food chain. I wonder if there's any truth to this hypothesis?
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Saechiis
Netherlands4989 Posts
Today I was wondering, have some animals evolved to be perceived as cute by humans (thereby making it more likely to survive encounters with them)? As I was adoring my cats I started thinking how being cute is an excellent survival mechanism considering how dominant humans are in the food chain. I wonder if there's any truth to this hypothesis? | ||
FFW_Rude
France10201 Posts
(could be misinterpreted. It's a legit thread for asking random question. Not just stupid ones) | ||
lichter
1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL22271 Posts
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Saechiis
Netherlands4989 Posts
On January 13 2014 22:16 FFW_Rude wrote: I would redirect you here : http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=23825 (could be misinterpreted. It's a legit thread for asking random question. Not just stupid ones) Thanks, I couldn't find such a thread! | ||
Tobberoth
Sweden6375 Posts
Your house cat might be cute, but you probably do not find a grown tiger cute. Your neighbours dog might be cute, but you probably wouldn't find a grown wolf cute. We have made them cute, and it's far too fast to have been evolution at work. | ||
Saechiis
Netherlands4989 Posts
I'd argue breeding is still evolution, a species evolves to improve their use to people. It's interesting how mankind changes the flow of evolution. Some unappealing species go extinct when people take over their habitat while useful animals evolve and turn into parasitic creatures. + Show Spoiler + | ||
slowbacontron
United States7722 Posts
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Ender985
Spain910 Posts
On January 13 2014 23:35 Tobberoth wrote: Humans breed animals to look cute, and we just happen to find baby animals cute (probably becuase they remind us of human babies which is also why we find chibi stuff cute, like Pikachu etc). Too big head, big eyes, small hands and feet... we are instinctually programmed to like it and want to protect it, so as to save our children. Your house cat might be cute, but you probably do not find a grown tiger cute. Your neighbours dog might be cute, but you probably wouldn't find a grown wolf cute. We have made them cute, and it's far too fast to have been evolution at work. Well.. Given that wild tiger puppies are also cute, as well as wild ducklings or even wild bat puppies, I'd say that there is something in our genes that makes babies of basically any other mammal species (and probably also some beyond mammal) seem cute, regardless of if domestic or wild. How that mechanism evolved and if we share it with other mammals I have no idea, but I can speculate. It makes some sort of evolutionary sense given that if a given human ancestor clan was inclined to kill and feed from all sorts of baby animals, they would soon make them extint, drastically cutting their own food resources and possible dying out, thus eventually the baby-loving genes would expand throug the sucessful human tribes and get to us today. | ||
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