What have you learned from watching animals?

[skribs]

I know that in legends, Martial Artists derived their arts from watching various animals as they hunted or fought. I don't know how much truth there is to those legends. But this is the story of where many of the Kung Fu styles come from, like White Crane, Praying Mantis, etc.

However, I'm not talking about what's been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years, which may have been inspired by animals. I'm looking at things I've learned from nature documentaries, or just watching animals play and fight. What are the things you've learned from this?

Things I've learned:

• Watching spiders and centipedes, I've learned that more limbs is better. If you can trap or isolate limbs, you can triumph.
• Watching wolves hunt, I've learned how teams tend to fight. I've then used this knowledge against groups when I spar against multiple opponents.
• I'm pretty sure my nephew learned how to avoid being pinned, by using tactics a skunk would use. Unfortunately for him, I'm anosmic.
• Watching big cats hunt (especially lions and cheetahs), I've learned how controlling the neck can control your opponent.

What are some tactics, strategies, or techniques you've directly learned from watching animals?

 

[lklawson]

It's OK to poop in the front yard and sniff other's butts.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Deleted member 39746]

I would say nothing, as none of us are those animals so its a fruitless endeavor to bother.

We as a species also have come to the same or similar conclusions to those animals anyway, we hunt in the method which suits our bodies etc.

also i dont think more limbs are better, the animals have evolved to have that to fit their environment/bodies/evolutionary lottery.

How many animals the size of humans or bigger do you see with more than 4 limbs? (not counting head)

Edit: by the same merit i can say no limbs are better as some species of snake routinely kill humans, either through venom or strangling.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I haven’t learned martial arts from animals, but I have a better grasp on human behavior by watching animal behavior.

An example, would be the behaviors of rank and psuedo-rank.and how it's determined. Deceptions and positioning. In terms of Martial arts I probably reverse the process. I take a look at what I do to understand animals better. I find the animal behavior that best fits mine and look for comparisons their. A little strange? Yep but that's just me.

 

[skribs]

I haven’t learned martial arts from animals, but I have a better grasp on human behavior by watching animal behavior.

An example, would be the behaviors of rank and psuedo-rank.and how it's determined. Deceptions and positioning. In terms of Martial arts I probably reverse the process. I take a look at what I do to understand animals better. I find the animal behavior that best fits mine and look for comparisons their. A little strange? Yep but that's just me.

Can you give me more detail on what you mean? What are "rank" and "psuedo-rank"? How have you learned your concepts from animals, do you have examples of animals using deception and positioning that you've been able to apply?

@Rat Obviously people will have the same amount of limbs (usually). But something like a spider or centipede can wrap up an insect, and have limbs to spare. If you have more limbs available to fight than your opponent, you have an advantage. For example, many armlocks allow you gain side control of your opponent. If I have wrapped your right arm, then I can keep your left arm and left leg pointed away from me, and you can't attack me with your right arm. Now I have 1 arm and 2 legs that can strike you, but you only have 1 leg that can strike me.

You are correct that snakes can win without limbs. But they use a different strategy to accomplish that. What can you learn about how snakes kill? Especially constrictors. You can learn a lot. Their grip grows stronger every time their opponent tries to breathe. Controlling your opponent's breath is a valuable strategy, whether through attacking the diaphragm through the solar plexus, or I've seen BJJ guys use a vice-like grip with their legs to crush the ribs of their opponent and make breathing very difficult.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Like animals humans have an unspoken ranking system. Think of it as the balance of your willingness to let another lead you and the willingness to "subjugate" another (maybe too strong of a term).

Then you have a false ranking system which is mostly a bluff. It's like how animals appear to be more dangerous or have more authority than what they really have. This is often done from a point of weakness than strength. Little dogs tend to do this to bigger dogs who can clearly eat the smaller dog.

In humans. When you feel weak you bluff to be stronger. Either your competition will think you are crazy or they will believe that you are as strong as you present. The same is done in fighting and in the wofkplace. The only animals I haven’t seen display this are dophin and solitary animals.

 

[lklawson]

An example, would be the behaviors of rank and psuedo-rank.and how it's determined. Deceptions and positioning.

Fight, Flight, Submit, Posture, Freeze.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[JowGaWolf]

For me martial arts takes a different path, more scientific and body mechanics than behavior. When I step on an ant there is no emotion, just the action. That's martial arts. The emotional and behavioral stuff comes before and after the action.

 

[lklawson]

Like animals humans have an unspoken ranking system. Think of it as the balance of your willingness to let another lead you and the willingness to "subjugate" another (maybe too strong of a term).

Then you have a false ranking system which is mostly a bluff. It's like how animals appear to be more dangerous or have more authority than what they really have. This is often done from a point of weakness than strength. Little dogs tend to do this to bigger dogs who can clearly eat the smaller dog.

In humans. When you feel weak you bluff to be stronger. Either your competition will think you are crazy or they will believe that you are as strong as you present. The same is done in fighting and in the wofkplace. The only animals I haven’t seen display this are dophin and solitary animals.

Mostly agree. Humans have a "ranking" system. Always. Here, in the dojo, at work, at the Bar. Dominance and positional conflict, often called "The Pecking Order," is part of the human condition. A person can move up (or sometimes down) in the Pecking Order by Posturing or, if posturing doesn't work, actual atavistic "fighting."

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[JowGaWolf]

Fight, Flight, Submit, Posture, Freeze.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Yep these behaviors are very similar in appearance, which is why animals especially dogs pick up on it so well. They don't have to filter sentences and lies, so the see a lot that we miss.

 

[Danny T]

In learning it is all play. Having fun while gaining attributes to be used for survival.

 

[JowGaWolf]

If I had to learn from a spider, it would be to immobilize my prey then finish it off. This is done not from strength but from being frail. I'm mobilizing my enemy means I'm less likely to be injured, and I could take a longer time to defeat my enemy without cost.

Think of a military tank. Immobilize a tank and you'll have time on your side. Let it keep its mobility then you'll have a tough fight. Komodo dragons are great at this as well. However, it's probably less about frailty and more about energy conservation.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

Obviously people will have the same amount of limbs (usually).

The point of that was meant to be if a animal is above X size it usually has four limbs to either support itself or do what it needs to do.

the methodology of most spiders is they use their legs to sense vibrations and to sit on a web and to also wrap up prey. their legs have little actual offensive use. I believe the huntsman spider is the only spider which actually hunts its prey instead of ambushing it. (and then it literally runs at it and tackles them, don't recall if they have venom or not) the killing potential of most spiders is its venom and web, the web traps they prey or alerts the spider and the venom kills it and dissolves its insides to be sucked out. they use all their legs to wrap something up, several to actually wrap the prey the others to keep standing/balanced while doing so.


The same thing can be derived from snakes, they have the strength and ability to constrict the life out of something, or have venom to kill something and their hunting strategies are based on that. (they routinely use both in defence of them selves for animals they cannot actually eat as well)

We have none of the attributes of these other animals so not much can be derived from them. The human species has come to its own conclusions on hunting and thats via the use of tools, or just stealing food from other predators or just scavenging berries and such. agriculture is there but that falls under tool usage.

Actually tools is a pretty big one, not many animals use tools and not in the same way humans do.

looking at humans is probably the best way to learn about humans, if you want to learn how nature does things and general about animals look at what evolution has brought for animals and plants in general. there is more merit to look at primates than any other animal though since we stem from that. More can be drawn from that as they are similar in ways and different in others.

Another point i need to make, with every one of those there is usually a animal which does it differently, there is a long list of pack animals and also solitary animals. there is a list which rely on eyesight above all else and also long list of blind or weak eye sighted animals which rely on other means. The only thing you can really derive from this is, they have evolved to be that based on environment and use the attributes they have to live.

Sorry for the semi jumbled response, but i think you have overlooked what makes humans humans and what has put us as basically one of the most dominant animals, and thats the brain mixed with a decently strong body.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

Also for the hierarchy question here, every social animal has a hierarchy. If they spend any significant amount of time in a group they have a hierarchy system for it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

In learning it is all play. Having fun while gaining attributes to be used for survival.

Never thought about animals like that. Play may be rough, but they don't go hard, like some people do. An injury in the wild is probably more costly too. Can't hunt well with a bad ankle. Broken bones without medical help is definitely bad news.

 

[skribs]

Never thought about animals like that. Play may be rough, but they don't go hard, like some people do. An injury in the wild is probably more costly too. Can't hunt well with a bad ankle. Broken bones without medical help is definitely bad news.

One thing I find interesting is the more intelligent the animal, the more inept they are as kids and the more they have to learn. Snakes and spiders hatch ready to hunt. Some species of shark are already hunting their brothers and sisters inside the womb.

But cats, wolves, and monkeys all have to play and learn their hunting techniques. Parents teach the young, and the young play to build the muscles and the instincts to hunt.

If a spiderling is hungry, it goes and gets dinner. If a bird is hungry, it whines and whines until mom brings it dinner.

 

[Buka]

I loved to watch animal stuff on TV as a kid. As a fast runner I used to watch cheetah stuff, used to watch how they stalk prey and then burst when closing. I tried using that to catch other kids when playing games that had a lot of running in them, which were numerous and frequent in the neighborhood I grew up in.

Got to see them in the wild later as an adult. Which was pretty cool. Made me remember, made me smile.

I used to watch cats, you know, pets. Used to watch how fast their paws were when fighting or expressing somebody not to F with them. Although I do not punch like the motion of a cat swipe, I do tend to slap that way.

Used to watch dogs, too. Made me think that if I could lick myself I'd probably wag my tail more.

 

[skribs]

Used to watch dogs, too. Made me think that if I could lick myself I'd probably wag my tail more.

Wait...you have a tail?

 

[Buka]

Wait...you have a tail?

It's invisible, though, unless you're wearing 3D glasses. And seriously, who goes around wearing 3D glasses?

 

[Flying Crane]

It's invisible, though, unless you're wearing 3D glasses. And seriously, who goes around wearing 3D glasses?

I do. Just in case.