Reaction Paper: Life of Mammals

Randy C. Beros

2010 - 38085

STS X2

Reaction Paper: Life of Mammals

            In this Modern day we live in, we have achieved feats our ancestors wouldn't even dream of. We have planes, satellites, internet, we have even been able to explore the moon and we plan on exploring and ultimately inhabiting Mars. Of course our continued thirst for progress have had a massive effect on our environment. Numerous animals are going extinct and the balance of ecosystems are being disturbed because of human activities. Life of Mammals is a set of documentaries that aims to show a deeper understanding of our environment and the animals around it, because awareness is the first step to change.

            Social climbers presented a very different perspective in viewing the life of monkeys. It showed that monkeys are very resourceful. Some monkeys have found out that certain types of leaves are natural insect repellant so they would rub this leaves all over their bodies. Other monkeys have found ways to crack clams and nuts that are abundant in their environment. Some feed in the night so there is less competition and others gather fruits in groups to be very efficient and systematic. Monkeys also have very good communication and they work together to protect each other. When one monkey sees a predator, it will shout to the other monkeys to warn them of the treat. They also have a very complex hierarchy in their society. Certain monkeys have more authorities than others, for example, the alpha males have the luxury to choose the female he would like to breed with. Monkeys also have the capability to analyze and thing of their future, for example, female monkeys prefer to mate with males, which has high probabilities of being the future leaders of the group, over the alpha males which are likely to be replaced in the future. This kinds of behavior is indicative that monkeys are very intelligent  animals and not just some instinctive animals as we have commonly perceived.

            The documentary opened my eyes to the complexity of life monkeys live. Before I thought that monkeys are just wild animals with no intellectual abilities whatsoever but it proved to be wrong. Monkeys are very social and very intelligent animals. They have cultures and practices that are somewhat similar to human practices. It is painful to think that we are destroying the habitat that this animals who have just as much right to the planet as us. We perceive ourselves as superior to monkeys but in fact our behaviors are not that different.

            Food for Thought focuses on the evolution man and the way we acquire food. We humans started off as hunters and gatherers, moving from place to place following wild plants and animals. Our most primitive form of hunting, endurance hunting, revolves around tracking the prey and chasing it until it collapse. As time passed we have developed the domestication of plants and animals and this brought forth farm lands and pastures eventually communities. Eventually, with the help of technology, we are able to grow plants with great ease and number. We are farming everywhere, from hills and deserts to the sea, we are even planning on eventually expanding to Mars.

             Progress is not a bad thing as long as we take into account our environment. We live in one planet so it is imperative that we take care of it. The environment is essential to our survival and its destruction will lead to our doom.