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Predators prefer to eat stupid animals mongabay.com August 2, 2006 Predators such as jaguar and chimpanzees consistently target smaller-brained prey less capable of escape according to research published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters. The study, carried out by Dr Susanne Shultz, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Liverpool, found that predators avoid more intelligent prey such as monkeys which have exceptionally large brains and are more capable of escaping attacks.
"When these findings are put into perspective, it makes sense that being clever should help individuals avoid or escape danger — the larger-brained chimpanzees rarely feature in the diets of predators," Dr Shultz remarked. "Some animals' ability to avoid being eaten by predators may be a contributing factor to the evolution of large brains across some species, adding to conventional theories which argue this is important for developing social relationships and using tools." RELATED ARTICLE Orangutans and chimps are smarter than monkeys and lemurs Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that orangutans and chimpanzees consistently outperformed monkeys and lemurs on a variety of intelligence tests, conclusively proving that apes are more intelligent than monkeys and prosimians. Scientists have long observed that some species perform better than others in intelligence testing but they have had difficulty proving that these differences could be attributed to intelligence. Now researchers have found proof of comparable mental capacity in primates. This article is a modified news release from the University of Liverpool. Recommend this article? Comments? Digg this article | Hugg this article | Contact News options News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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