On Thu, 21 Dec 1995, Christopher Hill wrote:

> > On Thu, 21 Dec 1995, Dennis Paulson wrote:
> > > Some birds, and frogs and rabbits (and perhaps many more animals), emit
> > > ear-piercing shreiks when caught by predators. It has been hypothesized
> > > that a startled predator might release such an animal.
>
> On Thu, 21 Dec 1995, Tom Foote wrote:
> > ..perhaps, but Richard Nelson, Rick Bass and some of the writers
> > who write about the hunt, speculate that the animal's cry is a
> > signal to bring in other predators to finish the job more
> > expeditiously...(in the case of wolves in particular, since
> > Anthropologist Nelson lives in Alaska)
>
> Well, a strategy that aims at escape, no matter how slim the chances,
> certainly seems more plausible to me than one that aims at quick and
> efficient suicide. The latter, as the evolutionists say, is not selected
> for ;-)

Chris--

I don't think I disagree with you there..but, the authors I'm
referencing are not limiting themselves to scientific observation
and, in fact, are approaching the hunt as a spiritual quest...
This, of course, allows them to write about the animal that
gives up its life so another animal may live, hence the theorizing
about the prey animal calling other predators to expedite it's own
demise, as it realizes it's over anyway..that's my paraphrase of
that idea expressed in their writings..
>
... and certainly there is little friendliness among the predators.
>
You're right about that one...it's not uncommon for a peregrine
on a duck to be nailed by an eagle and in one case I know of
a redtail..and I had a story reported that a kestrel was sitting
in a tree being arced by crows and a redtail slipped in among the
crows and grabbed him right off the branch..sighh-hhh even
lawyers have professional courtesy, for criminy sakes! :-)

Tom


> Chris Hill
> Everett, WA
> cehill at u.washington.edu
>
>