一項研究報告說,，蛇與包括人類在內(nèi)的靈長類動物之間的關(guān)系的歷史悠久而且很復(fù)雜,，其中靈長類動物是捕食者、被捕食者和競爭者,。
Thomas N. Headland 和Harry W. Greene研究了蛇對非人類靈長類動物，以及對過著沒有文字的狩獵采集生活方式的20世紀(jì)人類造成的危險,。科研人員提出了一種假說,，即廣泛存在的人類對蛇的恐懼可能反映了這些物種之間共同的長期進(jìn)化史，但是由于蛇完整地吞下被捕食者,，蛇捕食靈長類動物的化石證據(jù)比較缺乏,。
研究人員對菲律賓的120位Agta Negrito狩獵采集者進(jìn)行了民族志觀察,，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)在1934年到1973年間62位Agta女性和58位男性中的15位在網(wǎng)紋蟒的襲擊后存活下來,，還有6例致命的襲擊,。Agta人還常吃至多長達(dá)23英尺的蟒蛇——以及幾種蟒蛇捕食的物種，諸如鹿,、野豬和猴——這讓人類成為了蛇的被捕食者、捕食者和潛在的競爭者,。
研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，自然史紀(jì)錄進(jìn)一步揭示出蛇捕食26種非人類靈長，而許多靈長類動物殺死蛇并且有的時候吃蛇,。蛇與小動物的飲食習(xí)慣的重合也讓靈長類動物和蛇成為了潛在的食物競爭對手。研究人員說，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)支持了一個事實,，即蛇與包括人類在內(nèi)的靈長類動物在共同的進(jìn)化史中有重要的關(guān)系,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1115116108
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Hunter–gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes
Thomas N. Headlanda,1 and Harry W. Greeneb,1
Relationships between primates and snakes are of widespread interest from anthropological, psychological, and evolutionary perspectives, but surprisingly, little is known about the dangers that serpents have posed to people with prehistoric lifestyles and nonhuman primates. Here, we report ethnographic observations of 120 Philippine Agta Negritos when they were still preliterate hunter–gatherers, among whom 26% of adult males had survived predation attempts by reticulated pythons. Six fatal attacks occurred between 1934 and 1973. Agta ate pythons as well as deer, wild pigs, and monkeys, which are also eaten by pythons, and therefore, the two species were reciprocally prey, predators, and potential competitors. Natural history data document snake predation on tree shrews and 26 species of nonhuman primates as well as many species of primates approaching, mobbing, killing, and sometimes eating snakes. These findings, interpreted within the context of snake and primate phylogenies, corroborate the hypothesis that complex ecological interactions have long characterized our shared evolutionary history.
