I give to you Polar Goat [950x650 - 59KB]

I'll try to consider it from an evolutionary developmental perspective. The reason you don't see many predators with horns on their heads is because every evolutionary adaptation is a trade-off. It's a zero sum game. If you invest energy and resources making horns, that means you have less for other, more beneficial things such as developing paws, teeth, or muscles. Additionally, sharp teeth and claws make horns redundant. The reason herbivores develop horns is likely due to the fact that their teeth are formed for eating vegetation, and they need their hooves to support their relatively large and unwieldy bodies due to their multiple stomachs. Developing sharp teeth would detract from their ability to feed, and developing claws would detract from their stability and locomotion. Therefore, developing horns on their heads is a viable alternative, since their other appendages cannot be altered for aggression without losing their functionality. Furthermore, the ability to develop horns showcases an individual's evolutionary fitness, due to the fact that diseased or parasitized animals will have less resources to invest towards developing horns. Horns in this case have the added functionality of being a marker of vitality. This causes a positive feedback loop, whereby horns both increase fitness due to their defensive value and due to the fact that females prefer horns due to it being a marker of fitness. Female animals are less likely to develop horns due to their lower inherent aggression and the need to supply resources towards a womb and offspring.

parent
link

[+] [deleted] • 0 pt

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Hmmm. My old lady is horny right now. Which of us will be the predator tonight remains to be seen.

parent
link

[–] • 0 pt

Just a quick question, hows does an individual body 'know' how to mutate to something beneficial , if it's never had it before ??. Because it seems to me you've confused 'random mutations that happen to be beneficial' with 'pre-determined development'.

DNA expression is hard-coded to be immutable. That's why any genetic change is termed 'mutation', genetics are already 'hard coded and expressed' at conception, it's impossible for dna to change or 'develop' after gestation (except to mutate as sickness, disease).

To clarify, the process of evolution is taught as a 'randomised compounding series of beneficial mutations over time', not anywhere, anything remotely considered to be shown as pre-determination, even though the 'change/ mutation' may be beneficial/ advantageous.

Afaik, there has never been any cellular/ genetic proof or evidence for an encoded process of 'evolutionary development' of pre-determination ... If you have some, could you show me ...

parent
link

[–] • 1 pt

Even if a predator did develope horns or antlers it really wouldnt give him shit for an advantage. Their claws and teeth are where their destructive power lies. Mutations that give an advantage are the ones that stick around.

parent
link

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

(edited )

1) Neither phenotype nor genotype is completely static throughout the lifespan of a higher level organism. So there is some ability for an organism to react to pressures beyond just survival + mate selection.

2) An individual body doesn't "know". It's a statistical experiment run at large scale over generations without only a tiny bit of adaptation within any particular specimen. (see #1).

parent
link

Load more (1 reply)

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Hadn't ever though about this. Horns are defensive, claws and fangs are offensive. Now, if only we can get preachers and politicians to grow horns, the world will be... um, no nature will replace them with new monsters.