Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!haven!umbc3!uunet!rosevax!carole
From: carole@rosevax.Rosemount.COM (Carole Ashmore)
Newsgroups: alt.sex,sci.bio
Subject: Re: reproductive stragegy and human behavior
Summary: This is simply not true.
Keywords: Men,Women,Competition,Selection
Message-ID: <7376@rosevax.Rosemount.COM>
Date: 14 Mar 89 21:40:07 GMT
References: <756@microsoft.UUCP> <1714@psu-cs.UUCP> <800@microsoft.UUCP> <845@microsoft.UUCP>
Organization: Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
Lines: 32

In article <845@microsoft.UUCP>, gordonl@microsoft.UUCP (Gordon Letwin) writes:
> In article <7337@rosevax.Rosemount.COM>, carole@rosevax.Rosemount.COM (Carole Ashmore) writes:
> > Let's see now.  Most ungulates fall on the 'fast reproductive rate'
> > side; most of them are prey, not predators, and must keep their
> > numbers up to keep the species up and the pradetors in dinners.
> 
> Everybody must keep their numbers up.  Everybody keeps their numbers
> up as high as possible.  


Gordon, this is simply not true.  Most predator species have built
into their instincts some type of behavior that serves to keep their
numbers *down*.  It is very unusual for a predator to reproduce to the
limit of the food supply.  In lions the adults eat their fill from the
kill before the cubs are allowed to eat at all.  In years when prey is
scarce the cubs die.  In wolf packs normally only one alpha male and
one alpha female reproduce.  He and she not only prevent lower status
males from impregnating lower status females; she, with his
cooperation (since he's bigger and stronger) prevents him (the alpha
male) from impregnating lower status females.  A male bear is 
dangerous to *his own* cubs and may kill them if the female is
unsuccessful in driving him away.  The reproductive behavior of most
predators contains elements that are counter-intuitive when viewed in
the light of evolution happening by "Everybody keep[ing] their numbers
up as high as possible."  One of the problems I have with your
examples of of vastly different male and female reproductive
strategies is the fact that nearly all of them are species who occupy
the ecological niche of being somebody's dinner.



					Carole Ashmore