Speaking of the “landscape of fear“, I found this bit from Scientific American fascinating:
Florida’s Everglades are home to lots of large wading birds, like egrets and herons. But the ‘Glades also have lots of raccoons and possums. The birds’ nests are an all-you-can-eat buffet. And when an invasion occurs,
[Lucas Nell:] “sometimes thousands of birds will abandon their nests, and just leave, and there’s littered remains of dead chicks and eggs that have been eaten.”
In order to seek protection from their furry foes, birds actually prefer to build their nests in plots of swamp with a resident alligator.
So the birds, who do fall victim to their alligator from time to time, prefer to hatch and raise their chicks near a vicious predator, which will also lunch on those same chicks. What does this do to the concept of landscape of fear? Should it be considered overridden by the deterrent the alligator provides to the little league predators? And you have to love the closing thought:
I liken it less to a bodyguard situation, more like keeping some psychopathic murderer in your yard, to keep out cat burglars.
