Animal Helpers [antikvár]

Animal Helpers We often think of 'helping' as a very human _l activity. Lending a helping hand is something that we are able to do because of our well-developed brains and social structure. We think that nature tends to exclude helping in the battle for survival. This is far from being the case. Though giving unselfish help of the sort we call charity - fund raising for disaster relief, for example - does not seem to be part of the animal scene, the Wild World does contain social helpers. This help can be as varied as babysitting, hairdressing, and providing food for nursing mothers. Many animal communities join together to gather food, whether it be honey, cereals or meat, in just the same way as human villagers do, whether Inuit (Eskimos) hunting seals or South Sea islanders gathering coconuts. No human society could function without the help and co-operation of its members, What does 'help' mean in the Wild World? The answers are many and surprising, We find not only ant communities with nursemaids, food gatherers and soldiers working together to ensure the success of the colony, but also colonial jellyfish organized in much the same way. There are animals that team up to help others of their kind in defence, or that hunt as a pack to feed their clan. There are insects and birds that act as foster parents to others of their kind - though they may not get much reward for doing so. There are also examples of one animal helping to transport another. Animals may help plants in pollination. They may even help people - from earthworms acting as nature's ploughs to vultures as nature's dustmen! Nesting kittiwakes. A swarm of bees.