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Lions are considered the king of the jungle. However, most wildlife species fear another beast more than the big cat. Apparently, humans bring more fear to wildlife than lions.
Most Wildlife Species Fear Humans More Than Lions
Many animals fear lions because of their sharp eyes, bladed paws, and fanged jaws that can crush any prey. While they are scary, lions are reportedly at par with humans when it comes to terrorizing the other species in the African savannah.
Conservation biologist Michael Clinchy of Western University in Canada claims that lions should be the most terrifying land predators since they are the largest group-hunting predators on the earth. However, in over 10,000 recordings of African savannah wildlife, 95% of the species recorded reacted significantly more fearfully to the sound of a completely different beast: humans.
"Humans' fear of humans is ingrained and pervasive," said Clinchy. There's this idea that animals will habituate to humans if they're not hunted. But we've shown that this isn't the case."
Liana Zanette, an ecologist at Western University, and her colleagues recorded the responses of animals in waterholes in South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park by playing them with various vocalizations and sounds. Since this protected region is home to the biggest surviving population of lions (Panthera leo), other species are aware of the threat these carnivores pose.
Along with the noises of human hunting, such as dog barking and gunfire, the researchers also broadcast human conversations in Tsonga, Northern Sotho, English, and Afrikaans. The sounds of lions interacting with one another were also played.
Crucially, Clinchy added, the lion vocalizations consist of them snarling and growling, almost like they are having a discussion rather than screaming at one another. In this manner, lions' vocalizations are directly equivalent to human conversational speech.
When they heard human voices, nearly all 19 of the studied animal species were twice as likely to leave the waterholes as lions or even hunting noises. Mammals that can be dangerous in and of themselves include warthogs, hyenas, giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and leopards.
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Are Humans Apex Predators?
Lions are apex predators, and there's a debate about whether humans can also be considered apex predators like the big cats. However, the answer to the question may depend on how one defines "predator."
The word usually applies to both killing other animals and killing them for food. And this will depend on whether you're looking at ancient or contemporary humans.
Sylvain Bonhommeau, a marine ecologist at the French marine research institute IFREMER, asserts that our position in the food chain is neither affected by what feeds us or doesn't, nor by what we destroy. Instead, it totally depends on the foods we eat. According to Bonhommeau, the answer is no when taking those factors into account because humans don't eat every animal that is killed. Therefore, we are not the apex predators.
However, the question is not easy to answer. Humans can function as apex predators according to various measures. Some accounts even claimed that humans were formerly apex predators.
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