Cannibal is ... Value and examples of cannibalism in animals and humans
Often in our view, cannibalism isa man who existed far in the past, when the planet was inhabited by wild primitive tribes. Is it so? Can there be ruthless devourers of our kind in our civilized world?
Cannibal is who? Meaning and interpretation of the word
Very often cannibalism is called cannibalism,although this is not entirely true. What is the difference? A cannibal can be any creature that people eat. Basically, these are large predatory animals that are capable of attacking humans and eating, for example, brown and polar bears, sharks, Komodo lizards, wolves and others.
Cannibal is a creature that eatsrepresentatives of its kind. That is, the terms "cannibalism" and "cannibalism" are equal only when it concerns a person. Unfortunately, this is possible in modern realities. There are many cases in history when people ate each other.
The word was formed from the name "caniba". Before the discovery by Columbus of the Bahamas, that name was called the inhabitants of Haiti. Eating people for Aboriginal people was common. In the language of African tribes, Herero canibal means "brave". In Russian, figuratively speaking, it is interpreted as a "rude or cruel person".
Cannibalism in animals
In nature, cannibal animals are not uncommon. More than a thousand species of mammals, fish, insects and arachnids eat their brethren. Strange behavior is explained as a manifestation of intraspecific competition. This is how the population is regulated.
Cannibalism intensifies when conditionsexistence becomes too harsh and animals suffer from a lack of any resources, especially food. In this case, eating "their own" helps survive the rest and save the population.
The females are usually more prone to cannibalism thanmales. For example, female black widow spiders eat partners immediately after mating. This is observed in mantises, some species of mosquitoes, flies. To avoid death, males sometimes bring the female other insects, as their replacement.
Cannibals are found among lizards, snakes,turtles, rodents and primates. Some fish eat all small animals in a row without even distinguishing their own offspring. The young lion, having displaced the aged pride leader, eats his offspring. They can also eat their wolves and wolves.
Cannibalism in humans
Previously, people were less picky about food, andPractice cannibalism began from the Stone Age. At first, this was due to the lack of food, but over time it began to acquire religious significance. Many cannibals believed that eating the brain, the heart and other parts of the enemy would give strength and courage. Due to the lack of heat treatment, they often developed various diseases.
Medieval seafarers periodicallyfound the tribes of cannibals. One of them was presumably eaten by James Cook. Cannibalism was found in the Malay Archipelago, in Asia, Africa, and North America. Some researchers argue that it spread in Europe.
On cannibalism tell the Greek,Scandinavian and other myths. The Greek god Kronos, for example, devoured his children. In ancient tribes, cannibalism was part of the ritual of sacrifice, which was later replaced by the murder of an animal, not a human.
Modern tribes of cannibals
Not all people got rid of this tradition. At present, there are quite a few tribes left that civilization has not touched. Some of them still practice cannibalism. Members of the Aghori community in northern India believe that eating people slows down aging, although they are fed only by volunteers.
Tribes of the island of Fiji use cannibalism inas revenge enemies. Examples of cannibalism are found among the tribes of Brazil and Congo. At the end of the 20th century, a tribe of leopard skins was found in West African countries, which believed that cannibalism attached strength and speed. Later they were inherited by the Human Alligator community.
Conclusion
Cannibalism is the eating of the likecreatures. In the wild, it is widely distributed and is the main mechanism that controls the population size. Wild human tribes eat people not only for food, they often impose their spiritual or religious meaning on their actions.
Unfortunately, cannibal people do not only meetamong the savages. There is a whole list of maniacs killing and eating their victims. Many of them did not differ from other people in appearance or behavior. Famous Russian maniac-cannibal Andrei Chikatilo had a family, worked as a teacher and more than once helped the militia as a volunteer.
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