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Old June 20, 2007, 11:45 PM   #30
RsqVet
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Join Date: February 20, 2005
Posts: 2,474
Roy ---

The study you referance is a pretty good example of bad science. For one thing the genetic basis of behavior predispositions is very, very weak to non-existant in any number of far better controleld and studies populations than wild cougars.

Furthermore thinking that 20 years would have any effect on adult populations of something as relitivily slow to reproduce as a cougar is pure folly, evolution and selection occurs over a much longer time scale than 2 decades with an animal that has the generational time that a cougar does.

Laslty what is obvious and with the theory does not address is that Oregon and Nevada are radically diffrent than california when it comes to human poulation density, encroachment and sub-division of natural habitat, this leads to most if not all of the encounters with wildlife we see in CA, to some small degree these factors may also play a role in adaptation which means a cougar is more liekly to have interactions with people or a suburban enviorment and learn to like it or live within it, but agian these are learned behaviors not genetic traits...
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