![]() ![]() But the pattern of punishing cheaters can't be ignored either. Despite this, sometimes cheaters do succeed. In the animal kingdom, getting caught cheating can get you killed. Their opponent inevitably responds by going berserk and trying to kill them or cripple them, which is not that strange, but other males who see the display will also react negatively to the cheating, and will be more likely to use 'forbidden' levels of violence if they ever get in a fight with the cheater. However, sometimes one of the males will cheat, and use 'unfair' attacks that do cause real damage. That is to say, he will sacrifice his own children rather than be taken advantage of by a cheating mate.Īmong animals where the males fight for the 'right' to breed with large numbers of females, usually both males will avoid using their horns, claws and teeth to cause serious or permanent damage to their opponent. This will happen even though likely some of the eggs really were the male bird's children as well. ![]() Bird males that see their mate cheating with another male will often abandon their nest, leaving the female with the impossible task of protecting her own eggs and hunting at the same time, greatly increasing the chance that zero eggs will hatch. But guess what? Other bats were then observed 1) harassing the cheaters on the same day, and 2) not feeding the cheater's children in the future, until she has shared food first.Ĭheaters do exist in all kinds of cooperative systems, but almost always there are also punishments for cheaters who get caught that are severe enough the cheater would have been better off not cheating. Every now and then a mother decides not to share the food she gathers with those less fortunate, keeping all of it for herself and her own children. The vampire bats I mentioned have been studied quite extensively. A lot of animals (Including humans) have strong instincts to punish cheaters. I don't know what Dawkins specifically has to say.Īs to cheaters always winning, that's not quite true. No troll, bots, spam, or harassment.ĭo you have a more specific scientific question? Try /r/AskScience Do you have a question on a science-fiction universe? Try /r/AskScienceFiction This subreddit is a subsidiary of AskScience and the same rules of civility apply. Arguments that run counter to well-established scientific concepts may be removed. We are happy to discuss controversial topics, but we expect users to maintain some level of scientific integrity. Sources, especially peer-reviewed, are always helpful and appreciated. Posts and comments that are unrelated to science, promoting pseudoscience or are unscientific in nature will be removed. Help users work through questions they're unsure how to phrase for /r/AskScienceĭiscuss broader questions pertaining to science or scientific fields We also:ĭiscuss reading material or other educational topicsĬontinue tangential discussions that start on /r/AskScience r/AskScienceDiscussion is the place to ask any question you have about being a scientist, what's new in a field, or what's going to happen in a field. Welcome to /r/AskScienceDiscussion, help the subreddit grow by subscribing!
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