Monday, September 23, 2013

Big Cat Genome

Human scientists have mapped the genome of lions, tigers, and snow leopards. This is a vital part of trying to preserve these big cats. While I have more sympathy for wolves than for big cats, I feel some kind of kinship to these carnivores as well. We are all top predators, as are humans.

It is interesting to note, however, that the most successful top predator besides humans are dogs. There are a huge amount of dogs in the world. Our ancestors did the right choice in teaming up with humans instead of competing with them. The big cats and the wolves are competitors of humans, hunting for big prey and threatening humans, while we dogs help humans and get help back. The domestic cat did a similar thing, though they do not stand as close to humans as we dogs do.

I do hope the big cat species will survive. They are beautiful animals and there should be room for them on Earth.

No comments: