Comments on: What Happens When Predators Disappear

By: John

John — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 21:34:45 +0000

“We propose that many of the ecological surprises that have confronted society over the past centuries—pandemics, population collapses of species we value and eruptions of those we do not, major shifts in ecosystem states, and losses of diverse ecosystem services—were caused or facilitated by altered top-down forcing regimes associated with the loss of native apex consumers or the introduction of exotics. Our repeated failure to predict and moderate these events result not only from the complexity of nature but from fundamental misunderstandings of their root causes.”

Translation: everything environmentally bad that happens is our fault. Give these people enough time and they’ll come up with reasons we’re responsible for the dinosaur extinctions.

By: Ric

Ric — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:17:29 +0000

Some would say that the killing off of your neighbors by wolves is a good thing…

By: Joanna

Joanna — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:23:48 +0000

I like the Siberian tiger and Snow Leopard, they might become extinct too.

By: Mark Heber

Mark Heber — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:44:39 +0000

Hands down it’s got to be the grizzly. Nothing else comes close. It’s smart. Adaptive. Omnivorous. And it has no qualms about eating the odd hiker in a pinch.

On a side note, I’ve seen nearly every film featuring Bart the Grizzly and I have to say we lost one of the greats when he passed away.

By: Zoe – It's Our Nature : Life Without Big Animals

Zoe – It's Our Nature : Life Without Big Animals — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:59:10 +0000

[...] For a before-and-after view of what’s happened to various key ecosystems due to the removal of the apex consumers, see this article in Wired magazine and this post at Smithsonian. [...]

By: What Preys on Humans? | Surprising Science

What Preys on Humans? | Surprising Science — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:59:18 +0000

[...] started out Predator Week on Monday with a study that looked at what happens when predators disappear from an ecosystem. But why do we [...]

By: John Gubbons

John Gubbons — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:55:17 +0000

Rehabilitating endangered species where each individual can still make a difference to saving the species.

By: veena Raina

veena Raina — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:39:53 +0000

Mine has to be the Bengal Tiger,the most majestic beautiful predator on earth.

By: Manuel

Manuel — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:43:48 +0000

I´d say that my favorite one are wolves. I guess that is due to the flick I saw years ago: “White Fang” with this actor i cant remember ; Nevertheless I´m awared that the history was kinda based on unreal events…

By: The Vanishing Cats | Surprising Science

The Vanishing Cats | Surprising Science — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:21:23 +0000

[...] Yesterday I asked you, the readers, about your favorite predators. Mine, well, that has to be the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). I remember seeing them at the zoo when I was a kid and being fascinated by them, so out of place in America and yet so familiar, like a bigger version of my own kitty. [...]

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:55:47 +0000

Birds of prey such as hawks and eagles rank near the top of my list.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:31:59 +0000

Too many for a “favorite,” but it would be cool to know more about the actual Canus dirus.

By: lorraine

lorraine — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:24:11 +0000

It’s hard to decide between the wolf and the lion…The lions because they have almost a swagger…and pride about them..truly king of the beasts….The wolf for a different reason, they are wilder in their behavior…more instinctive in a way…but there is a look of knowledge in their eyes…like they have secrets to share if we would listen.

By: Bruce Leesa

Bruce Leesa — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:07:26 +0000

The cheetah is nearing extinction due to poaching and urban sprawl. There’s not enough genetic disparity to ward off the perils of inbreeding. Although the biological impact of an extinct cheetah population may be minimal (due to the number of competing predators) it would be truly devastating to not have a cat that can sprint up to 60mph.