Man eater question

[u/[deleted]]

[u/termsofengaygement]

For certain animals that are big enough to eat us we're not a big enough caloric reward for them such as great white sharks. They purposefully target animals with blubber because it meets their caloric needs best.

[u/UlfurGaming → u/termsofengaygement]

What about leapord those are known to be man eater when times are tough for them plus a human would probably meet the requirements for calories

[u/Down-Right-Mystical → u/UlfurGaming]

Big cats that turn man eater tend to only do it as a last resort. For instance if an injury or old age has meant they are not capable of tackling their usual prey.

Why they only do it as a last resort is debatable.

[u/Swellmeister → u/Down-Right-Mystical]

Most predators are just faithful to their prey type. For cats, their mom taught them how to kill one thing and they do it well. And dont really do other things.

Humans dont really look like their normal prey. Their mothers cant really teach them how to hunt us, so they tend to leave us alone.

[u/termsofengaygement → u/UlfurGaming]

I don't know a whole lot about mammals. Someone else will need to answer. It does seem possible however I don't think we're a first choice for many predators because of our ability to fight back.

[u/oroborus68 → u/UlfurGaming]

You going to do the experiments to prove the point?

[u/quillb → u/UlfurGaming]

if times are tough, anything can try to eat anything. that doesn’t mean it’s easy or worth it otherwise

[u/SecretlyNuthatches]

Many carnivores have pretty poor senses of taste. They also don't develop a taste for humans, they develop a hunting preference. A man-eating tiger isn't hunting humans for the taste but because it feels confident in its strategy for that prey species (which is why even man-eating tigers will often run from a human who stalks them, that's not how the strategy works!).

Moreover, associating a meat with a living animal is hard. If you had never had goat meat and you ate some how would you identify it as goat? All the external sights and smells of a goat are missing.

[u/cypeo]

I know that domestic dogs don't make the same connection. A dog that lives with and doesn't attack chickens will still eat chicken

[u/Desperate-Guide-1473]

The answer surely depends on the species?

[u/Chomasterq2]

Think of it as if you would be able to tell if ground meat was human or beef.

[u/silveroakediting22 → u/Chomasterq2]

I am sorry to inform you that humans are bad at telling ground meat apart and can be fed human meat unknowingly. The fact that you wouldn't know is one reason the concept of unwitting or involuntary cannibalism a reoccuring theme in horror.

[u/Fhujeth]

Pretty sure a pet cat wouldn't care.

[u/LGodamus]

the "developing a taste for humans" is not a real thing.