• Question: If things have to reproduce fast to ensure their species has more of them, why do some animals (humans included) have to wait for a correct age, this seems like a trait that has evolved but is not that useful, why do some animals have to wait?

    Asked by aurum to Dean, Jess, Luisa on 25 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Luisa Ostertag

      Luisa Ostertag answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      To prevent overpopulation. (If there would be too many of us a lot more would die at very early age because we would not have enough food (even now some peeople don’t have neough food) and diseases would spread a lot quicker because we would have to live so close together.)

      Another reason is that we have to be able to care for our offspring, otherwise they will die very young too. And humans don’t seem to be able to care for themselves (and their offspring) before they are between 12 and 16 or so. And actually a lot of peope cannot even do this at that age …

      Also, humans have the big advantage that they are very clever and can survive although they cannot reproduce as rapidly as rabbits. So the time that is needed to get fertile is used for learning many many things that will be very useful for brining up the offspring and ensure their survival and reproduction.

    • Photo: Dean Whittaker

      Dean Whittaker answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      I’ve never really thought of that. I don’t know!

    • Photo: Jessica Housden

      Jessica Housden answered on 25 Jun 2010:

      I think iit is bacause we are a mammal, so our eveolutary paths are different. We have to nurture the babies, rather then leave them to fend for themselves. Also, we give our offspring a huge helping hand by having a long gestation period (pregnancy), which requires a females body to be able to cope with that.

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