pinefamily
Very Well-Known Member
Just as there is no evidence, other than some anecdotal examples, for maintaining heat overnight, apart from hatchling pythons, or juvenile lizards where the overnight temp gets down to near zero.
Yes I agree there are extreme weather moments, if an animal can't find suitable shelter or food they perish. but you didn't mention that,, along with the "bust" scenario, there is also "boom" times, in which a species can find itself doing very well. You can't tell me that conditions that make a species thrive shouldn't be replicated in captivity.
I disagree with your statement about "evolution is not capable of making any species perfectly suited to its environment", ... the longer a species has survived for unchanged, has to be as close as it can get. Every species on this planet has evolved specifically to fill a niche role in a particular environment, of course they have their parameters, and yeah nothing lives forever, but if a species wasn't 'perfectly' suited it wouldn't bounce back after ....say, laws are changed to protect them.
The main reason our pets live longer in captivity is the same reason we as a species now live longer. Protection against heat or cold, and removal of detrimental parasitic or invasive micro-organisms, bacterias and viruses. Add quality, nourishing food, the right amount of excercise and rest, good genes and only stress that is easily coped with, and you have a perfect specimen.... well, as perfect as can be. But nothing lasts forever because this world is constantly changing.
If my dogs nuts aren't the perfect evironment for fleas, how come they do so well there?
Its also perspective,.. if your glass is half empty, nothing is perfect
A species may exist unchanged for a long period of time (though that very rarely happens), but even then, it is not because it has become perfect, it is just because it has become as good as it can get, and there will always be changes going on even if you can't see them.
You yourself say that they live longer in captivity due to protection from heat and cold We are capable of giving them a superior thermal environment to nature. You also point out that we protect them from pathogens and parasites, which are part of the natural environment. Just like unfavourable weather, food shortages, etc., parasites and pathogens are part of the natural environment which animals *cope* with, not an environment which is perfect for them.
Using your flea example, they live well on dogs because they have evolved to, but that doesn't at all make a dog the perfect environment for fleas. Dogs have various methods of fighting fleas, ranging from scratching and biting through to chemical properties in their blood which make it as toxic as possible for the fleas, and properties of the skin and fur to make it less hospitable to the fleas. The fleas do quite well, but if you were to stop the dog from scratching, biting, rolling around in mud, etc., they would do better. If you were to genetically alter the dog to remove the nasty properties from the blood, the fleas would thrive much more, breeding faster, growing better, and generally being more successful. Even the thermal environment on a dog is not perfect for fleas - a dog runs around in a range of temperatures, and the fleas would be happiest with a constant temperature of (I'd have to look it up and this is only an estimate) about 32 degrees. They must *endure* the natural range of 10 to 40+ degrees, which is natural but gives them no benefit, only harm.
It's not about glass half empty or half full If something is perfect, nothing can be better. If we kid ourselves into thinking we have found perfection we will never strive for anything better Your glass is half full, but if you think it's absolutely full so you'll never put anything more in it!
Natural environments are never, ever perfect for any animal. If you study ecology you'll very clearly see that
Just as there is no evidence, other than some anecdotal examples, for maintaining heat overnight, apart from hatchling pythons, or juvenile lizards where the overnight temp gets down to near zero.
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