r/zoology

I live in Australia and the largest land animals I can think of here is probably a kangaroos and emus which really aren’t any larger than a human. But my family recently went to Africa and the diversity animals is actually crazy. So so so many large animals living in the same place side by side. Rhinos, elephants, giraffes, wilder-beasts, zebras, hippos, warthogs, buffalo’s, ostriches, lions, cheetahs, hyenas leopards and probably more that I forgot. I never really appreciated how big these animals were until I actually got to see them in person absolutely amazing. Australia and Africas climate is kinda similar in a lot of places. Why is our country ecosystem dead in comparison?

Curious if a animal eats ground up human meat would they be able to tell hey thats a human or is it mostly based on soght where they find body or person and then eat it and develop a taste for it ?

Hello! I recently read a couple non-fiction books that included several encounters between polar bears and humans. Each encounter was peaceful and did not end with the bear becoming a vicious, unstoppable, man-eater. My knowledge of polar bears lies somewhere between jack and shit. Pop culture has taught me that any encounter between a person and a polar bear results in instant and brutal death of the person.

I guess what im asking is, has pop culture lied to me?? Has it misrepresented this species for entertainment reasons? Does anyone who actually knows about polar bears know if theyre actually not guaranteed to attack on site?

Fiddling with some speculative critters and was wondering what exactly would be possible/ necessary in the eye structure for an aerial predator to successfully spot and hunt alligators. (Like eye placement, pupil shape, eye shape/structure) Obviously this idea isn't entirely realistic, I'm just looking for ideas.

Since last summer there have been brown widow spiders in my yard (south Georgia) and I’ve noticed the signs of them around my neighborhood as well (tons of spiky egg sacks). I usually wouldn’t be bothered as long as they stay outside, but there are so many of them and they are more venomous than black widows. I know they are considered less dangerous, but I’ve noticed a lot of egg sacks and I spend quite a bit of time outside.