African wild dogs test the 'survival of the fittest' paradigm.
Charles Darwin first used the term 'survival of the fittest' in the 5th edition of The origin of species. A literal interpretation implies that predators will selectively prey upon the weakest members of a population. We demonstrate that this is true for African wild dogs hunting impala.
Pole
Alistair
A
Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK.
Gordon
Iain J
IJ
Gorman
Martyn L
ML
D000349:Africa; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002335:Carnivora / Q000502:physiology*; D005523:Food Supply; D008954:Models, Biological; D012641:Selection, Genetic