Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Showerthoughts_Mod t1_ittzw0n wrote

This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.

Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"

(For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)

Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.

1

MasterAnything2055 t1_ittzy0m wrote

Mostly we imagine giants as giant humanoids.

If it can be any species then whales are pretty giant.

477

scorpious2 t1_itu1glh wrote

Speaking of giants, humans are megafauna right? (correct me if wrong) that would make us giants. Its just that from the perspective of the giant they do not seem so big unless compared to something smaller

4

blackdragonstory t1_itu3s80 wrote

Not sure if insects have conscience but I wonder what age of bugs gets killed the most. Is it the young and inexperienced that ends up in our house or does it even matter. I wonder how aware they are of us humans. They might move,fly away if we come close to them but if we aren't and are just moving about I wonder if the bugs are keeping an eye on us or just don't care what we are doing until we are close enough. I noticed or at least think some flys are smarter than others. Some flys will sit on corners,some under chairs to avoid being killed meanwhile you have some on the table,window,doors etc just waiting to die I guess.

48

LeaCTrockboys t1_itu50hb wrote

I feel like youre so huge to some bugs that they perceive you more as an environmental hazard. You take up their whole sightline.

On that note ive always wondered what the smallest living thing that can perceive us at all is. Microscopic animals don't know we are there basically right?

119

ozmartian t1_itu7mh2 wrote

Pfffft. When Cthulhu and the Old Ones return, then you'll understand the meaning of the term.

18

Outside-Setting-5589 t1_itu8vku wrote

What about whales, elephants, giraffes, giant squids? I mean, it's not like we look like insects exactly, our giants don't need to look like us. Now imagine what a white whale is to an ant.

30

JesseGT t1_itu985o wrote

Replying to blackdragonstory (#234,893)

I’d love to know the answer but I think they just don’t live long enough for us to truly know. When your lifespan is a couple months it’s just what you can do and what’s worked, maybe for that fly that was out in the open never encountered something that could reach it, if it had only fucked with dogs it thinks just land on the top of a cabinet or something, human comes never seen one and BAM big self high five and it’s no more…

29

blackdragonstory t1_itu9ll4 wrote

Replying to JesseGT (#235,266)

I guess but let's say you wack one,then the other the third and others are watching. They should be able to adapt. Some flys that I would call stupid but unwilling to die are the flys that don't want to land at all,they keep flying,they land somewhere for a few seconds and then again. It's like they know the house is a bad place for flys and desperately wants out. Or maybe I am looking too much i to this lel.

10

Primary_Ant_6715 t1_itua34c wrote

Maybe giants exist because of terrence mckennas shroom-ape theory🤔

0

JesseGT t1_ituagco wrote

Replying to JesseGT (#235,266)

I think we are looking into it to much hence it being a “shower thought” but with that being said and also we just see flys, chances are there are different types of flys but they just look the same to our human eye, like blow flys are bigger and slow so you can slap the shit out of them… maybe there’s quicker ones and I know they dodge you because of air pressure

2

Extension_Canary3717 t1_itucgn8 wrote

Not exactly as I don’t consider other species bigger than humans to be giants

2

TheSupremeCheeseMeme t1_itufuwp wrote

I came here to find the people that also thought this thought could have been thought outside the shower

2

Kajamaz t1_ituhyo2 wrote

Replying to blackdragonstory (#235,305)

Idk, I've setup fly traps and it kills each and every single one of them. They fly into a small container filled with hundreds of dead fruit flys, don't think twice, and die in it as well. So much for adaptability.

Tbh they're just super awesome tiny biological machines really.

7

betajool t1_ituolxb wrote

Every thought about yourself from the point of view of a pet cat?

To your cat you’re like a giant bear that lives for 500 years, take care of you your whole life and is happy for you to sleep on top of them.

1

AcidBathVampire t1_ituqleh wrote

Replying to migueeel (#235,802)

That's what I'm saying. They perceive that something big is near them, but they can't see it because it's so massive that they can't take it in. I would imagine a similar thing might occur if you were swimming in the deep ocean and a whale came past you, the only difference being that you might think "was that a whale?" Whereas a bug is most likely "thinking" "what the hell was THAT?"

4

ChewyNutCluster t1_itv0nb3 wrote

They seriously remove 90% of my posts, but "We're big to ants" is allowed? My day is ruined.

2

ChrysMYO t1_itv0nrk wrote

Replying to blackdragonstory (#235,305)

I dont think they learn in that way. I think they react to stimuli more then plan and anticipate. I think you have to move up to rodents and small lizards before you get any animal planning based on past memories.

1

Littlebotweak t1_itv5ck1 wrote

Not necessarily. Insects don’t really see you, they see something and all that something equates to is stimulus that reaches a threshold and compels the organism to act or react. It’s less “Ehrmagherd giant!” And more “Ehrmagherd the shadow or light changed!”

They don’t need to be able to render “you” visually to respond to cues to avoid you. They need just enough to survive.

1

ApexHolly t1_itv5uzj wrote

Replying to ChrysMYO (#238,347)

Actually, scientists discovered that jumping spiders (cute lil things) have abstract memory, and are able to remember hazards they've previously encountered, as well as take the long way to their target if they think it would be safer. Which indicates that they at least have a rudimentary understanding of cause and effect, allowing them to plan. They also have great vision. There's a video of a jumping spider watching a helicopter overhead.

Having said that, jumping spiders, according to presently available data, seem to be along the upper edge of what "bug" cognition can do, and certainly smarter than the majority of spiders. Although spiders already tend to be fairly smart when compared to other bugs, such as flies.

2

Yolectroda t1_itvc58i wrote

Replying to AcidBathVampire (#238,514)

Or, do they know we're there in the same way that we know that the hurricane is coming to wreck us, or a glacier slowly progressing towards an area, or do they know that there's a being trying to kill them.

3

playr_4 t1_itvcl1t wrote

It's literally an entire other species....elephants and giraffes are giants to us.

1

sygnathid t1_itvndjp wrote

Replying to MasterAnything2055 (#239,433)

I think that commenter's point is that those two creatures have very similar forms but one is giant compared to the other, while us and whales have relatively different forms.

If Gigantopithecus was still around, I feel like they'd meet this sort of qualification, being very similar to humans in form but much greater in size.

2

reiper_ t1_itw191j wrote

Replying to JustKillinTime69 (#242,705)

i used length because if you go by height blue whales are definitely not enough to be considered giants (one blue whale should be what? 5 humans standing up) specially if you compare the height of a human and an insect

1