Predator self-regulation

[AndySchatz]

Predators regulate their populations to avoid over hunting in a variety of ways in the wild. I'd like to talk about the different methods of self-regulation.

Lions live in prides in which the alpha male kicks other adult males out of the pack. Lions that don't live in a pack have a much harder life and are likely to die. Also, when there are too many females they get aggressive towards one another, enforcing a heirarchy in the pack. This essentially puts an artificial limit on the size a pack can be.

Ravens live in monogomous pair groups and aggressively defend their territory. When babies grow up they are kicked out of the territory and only establish new territory when they find a mate.

Seals generally have a great overabundance of food, but they also are kept from overpopulating by other predators.

Some birds will not breed when there is not enough food that year. This type of behavior tends to only happen when food is typically scarce or difficult to catch.

Some animals will also commit fratricide when food is short: young will kill other young if food is scarce.

So, the ways in which I see predator populations are kept under control are:
-Animals that require pack hunting also have a social heirarchy which keeps pack sizes down at a consciously sustainable level
-Some Animals are territorial, the size of the territory is related to the abundance of food
-Some predators are just killed by other predators
-Some animals decide not to breed when food is scarce

Any others you guys can think of?

[ChanGuy]

this relates to some predators are just killed by other predators
-canabalizum (i think im dislexic )

[monkeyboy]

think its Canabalsim, nope, its cannibalism.

Im not sur if this is worthy of its seperate subject or not, but when some food is scarce, some predators will change there diet, sometimes drasticaly.
Opputunist usually fall into that category.

Another sub-groupe would be making there own food, especially plant seeds through defecation. Squirrels and other tree animals. There is also the reverse with Bison (and other animals Im sure) tha clear forest to open grasslands.

The later especailly insures food for future generations as well as the individuals.

[NordicNinja]

Will cannibalism or babycide be present in Dinosauria, with the raptors at least?

(Sorry if this was already answered elsewhere)

[AndySchatz]

Will cannibalism or babycide be present in Dinosauria, with the raptors at least?

(Sorry if this was already answered elsewhere)

Well, I'm working right now on how the predators self-regulate: In africa, they really only reglauted their population because there was an artificial family-size limit for each species. In Arctic there was no such limit, but the animals did not breed much, particularly predators. I'd love to have a cleaner, more true-to-life solution than this.

Currently, pack leaders will kill babies if they breed over their desired pack size. I'm just thinkinga bout how much more work I want to put in on the subject.

[Warrah]

Im not sur if this is worthy of its seperate subject or not, but when some food is scarce, some predators will change there diet, sometimes drasticaly.
Opputunist usually fall into that category

Recent observations show that Polar Bears will switch food sources during times of global warming. When the earth suddenly becomes hot and the ice from the poles melt, Polar Bears will stop eating seals and start eating the eggs of a certain kind of bird.
This means that the Polar Bears may survive global warming!

But this is would also a good idea for the game. So I seconed monkeyboy's idea!

-Warrah

[Snares Penguin]

Recent observations show that Polar Bears will switch food sources during times of global warming. When the earth suddenly becomes hot and the ice from the poles melt, Polar Bears will stop eating seals and start eating the eggs of a certain kind of bird.
This means that the Polar Bears may survive global warming!
-Warrah

Polar bears have been around for more than 10,000 years. They survived the Middle Holocene (7000-5000 years ago). Read this...
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwa ... ocene.html

Polar Bears will survive this is a normal, rhythimic change in climate. And just think, some 60 years ago, people were worrying about going into another ice age!
-Snares Penguin

(lol)

Sometimes preditors kill the babies of other preditors of its species. Esp. with nomadic lions that have just taken over a pride, but then he mates with the other lions. So i guess that wouldn't work...

Alot of times, preditors will just move on to new locations where there are fewer preditors. So, Migration would be one.

[monkeyboy]

By the way, the words are Infantside=infant and filicide=child.

I didn't say anything about Polar bears, and I do believe they will survive.
(Saying this just so its on record.)

I think that seals become theye principal prey, when they are just about the only prey. Not to mension Im sure life will find a way. I think its just a coincidence that they seem so well adapted to feeding off seals. They do live in areas were seals aren't present, for most of the year idleast. Although they dont stray to far from the coast. Seals are just a pleasent bounty.

[SGT Sam]

Size of territory regulates the size of population

or

Size of other herds, which was basically already stated, but, it's true.

[seth98]

My theory for predator regulation is, more predators! Now you might think I'm crazy for saying this but maybe a t-rex has to many eggs in a nest, if no ones around omelet for ornithimimus and deinonychus. Also by predators going after other predators if hungry enough since ornithimimus was most likely an egg eater anyway.

[geofrog707]

Whoo hoo!!!!! The game is back on!!!!!

[koiboi59]

i heard on some documentary, i think it was clash of the dinosaurs, that herbivores will try and kill young carnivores so they don't grow up. so maybe that could be in the game.

[DinoLord]

Herbivores can indeed be quite aggressive towards young predatory animals. An example is elephants in Africa. They will attempt to trample lion clubs. Killing predatory animals while young proves advantageous because the prey animal can prevent the young from growing up to potentially kill them or their kin.

[dinosaurman]

Here are some of my ideas.
-Dominaint Male T-rexes And ''Acros" will kick out young induviguals so they can form packs of there own.
-Dienonychus and Utahraptor will stop laying eggs when they reach the pack limit.
-Ornithomimus will steal eggs from other nests either for them selfs or for their own young to eat.
-Female T-rexes and "Acros" should be in charge because they have a greater size than the Males.

So, what do you think?

[ChanGuy]

Here are some of my ideas.
-Dominaint Male T-rexes And ''Acros" will kick out young induviguals so they can form packs of there own.
-Dienonychus and Utahraptor will stop laying eggs when they reach the pack limit.
-Ornithomimus will steal eggs from other nests either for them selfs or for their own young to eat.
-Female T-rexes and "Acros" should be in charge because they have a greater size than the Males.

So, what do you think?

sounds good but noone seems to be thinking of cometion in a species leading to ocations of canabalisum (Idk how to spell :p
Also,The size difference between sexs in dinosaurs is just a thory based on modern day relatives of them. im not saying i dont beleive it tho