Let’s also add on that humans used a tactic called “persistence hunting”, in which you follow after some animal at a brisk pace startling it every time it tries to rest. With nothing more than sweat glands, pointy sticks and ridiculous endurance, we marathon jogged some species to extinction!

Also, we can and do eat some mild poisons because they’re tasty somehow.

I have a love of chocolate, but smaller animals can’t eat as much without severe metabolic issues that might kill them.

And capsaicin is straight-up an anti-mammal deterrent. Birds might be able to eat it with no reaction at all. Meanwhile humans just deal with their temperature receptors being freaking hacked for seemingly no other reason than fun.

But if a determined human really wants to try and kill you, there's no out-running it. It'll catch up eventually.

We are the metaphorical snail that relentlessly pursues to kill.

and don’t forget that humans have excellent and precise communication skills, too. At least in theory. One human might not be able to kill the wild animal, but a group can.

Human V Horse race in Wales

When it's hot out, the human wins. When it's cold/cool, humans can't stand a chance against the horses. Similarly, wolves and dogs can easily outrun humans in the cold, but lose to humans when it's hot.

That's because the biggest comparative advantage that humans have is actually thermal management while running, not the act of running itself.

Humans sweat. This means we can actually perform intense exercise even in heat, without overheating as easily as most other animals. Most quadruped mammals pant to cool, and have their breaths tied to their steps while running, so they can't cool themselves efficiently while on the move. Persistence hunting doesn't tire out prey, but actually overheats the prey to where they can't run any further.

Throw in the fact that we can throw, handle weapons while running, climb shit, talk, invent things, etc., and we really have been a deadly species for long before industrialization.

It just occurred to me we're long-range heat-seeking missiles

I remember reading somewhere that the primitive human used to hunt just like that, keep following the prey in marathon, tracking their foot step, and slowly drain out the stamina of a prey. Sprinting takes a lot of energy in all animal so it kinda makes sense.

Tracking skills would also have to be part of the arsenal, otherwise something could just run far enough fast enough that we couldn't find it, despite our endurance.

You have the ability to. Doesn't mean you have the skill

TIL I could be out-pitched by most other apes because I'm so weak. I am a shame of a human.

username checks out

A sentence, can, never have, too many, commas! I'm William, Shatner.

I just hit crosspost without modifying anything. Only added the transcription.

original

Must be a god among apes

Yeah, our ancestors literally threw bones up into the air and turned them into spaceships, of course we’re gods.

What, that humans are freakishly good at throwing things, or that aliens don't have the ability to throw things?

Nope, we are really fucking good at throwing. Basically we created a feadback loop due to how throwing with more accuracy and force was better for hunting and defense that it increased survival ratings. This in turn meant those who threw better got to breed while those who didnt died.

This is a pretty big stretch. I wouldn't say spitting and throwing are comparable.

I'm interested in hearing about the other examples of species accurately throwing things though.