4 ms·
why haven't any animals adapted to this role for humans!
by awakeasleep 6mo ago
why haven't any animals adapted to this role for humans!
- encrux 6mo agoIn a Sense, cats did actually. Not through direct contact, but by getting rid of mice and rats that infiltrate food storage.
- buildbot 6mo agoCat’s will also literally try to clean you as well!
- thenthenthen 6mo agoWhen i was born, my parents cats groomed me. After a year or two they stopped. But yeah, some cats cats totally groom humans.
- fhdkweig 6mo agoCats love the taste of earwax. They will give you a wet willy while you sleep.
- wizardforhire 6mo agoLol! Because there hasn’t been enough time and the ecological niche is non existent… ? However… upon further inspection, one could argue that the micro biome is full of beneficial micro organisms that have evolved to fill this niche… [1] Staphylococcus epidermidis This is one of the most abundant and beneficial bacteria on human skin. It produces antimicrobial peptides and metabolites that inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. [2] Cutibacterium acnes Despite its association with acne, this bacterium actually plays an important role in skin health by producing propionic acid, which helps maintain skin pH and prevents overgrowth of harmful organisms. [3] Corynebacterium species Various corynebacteria colonize the skin and produce lipases and other enzymes that help break down sebum (skin oils) and maintain healthy skin conditions. [4] Malassezia species These yeasts are abundant on skin and help regulate the skin microbiome, though they can sometimes cause issues in excess. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus_epidermidis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus_epidermidis [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutibacterium_acnes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutibacterium_acnes [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corynebacterium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corynebacterium [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malassezia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malassezia
- TeMPOraL 6mo agoHow do you know they didn't? When was the last time you just let bugs spend time on you?
- Joel_Mckay 6mo agoThere are more mites specialized to live on your eyebrows skin than many like to think about. =3
- EA-3167 6mo agoNot just mites, we’re absolutely covered and full of commensal organisms. What’s really interesting is how specialized these organisms have become, like the difference between body and head lice. We have critters socialized to just our eyebrows and eyelashes, others only live in apocrine sweat glands, etc. Even before you get to the literal kilograms of bacteria, fungi and other fauna in our guts we’re a whole world unto ourselves. We just don’t usually notice.
- devmor 6mo agoIf you think about the most commonly accepted history of eukaryotic life, it’s been this way from the beginning! Our cells themselves are bags of specialized microorganisms that changed and became integral to each other’s existence over time.
- Joel_Mckay 6mo agoThere are many Garra rufa subspecies that were the source of compounds used in treating modern autoimmune and skin disorders. The fishes histories go back thousands of years. As a species it is super interesting... some evolved in hot-spring conditions that would simply cook most other animals. =3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_garra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_garra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLWkojAnyH0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLWkojAnyH0
- laidoffamazon 6mo agoCan we squint and say the gut microbiome is kind of like this?
- sph 6mo agoHumans are the exoskeleton for gut bacteria.
- victorbjorklund 6mo agoPlenty of bacteria lives in your guts feeding on your food and generating useful by-products.
- Night_Thastus 6mo agoAnd plenty live on your skin, causing no harm but making it nearly impossible for dangerous bacteria to thrive.
- t-3 6mo agoApes commonly practice social grooming. So, humans are the animal adapted to this role for humans.
- novia 6mo agoYou too can let ants crawl all over you. They will find snacks.
- thaumasiotes 6mo agoIf you do this, you will start to develop spontaneous feelings of ants crawling all over you whether or not they're really there. I wouldn't recommend it.
- lovich 6mo agomost people find it disgusting, but some rat owners will let their rats clean their teeth and the rats seem to enjoy the activity much like how other social animals enjoy grooming each other
- Rexxar 6mo agoThis one is doing the job on almost every body you know: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodex