pandas

Should pandas be extinct? There is a lot to be said for the panda’s maladaptation to nature, but this comment is interesting:

Panda’s evolutionary path has lead them down a very narrow cul de sac from which there is no escape. By all Darwinian rights they should become extinct.

But I like pandas, as do many others. Pandas have the one survival trait that is very important in today’s environment – they have value to human beings.

And on that note,

How about DOGS people? I mean come on, those little dogs do not serve any purpose in this life!! Billions of dollars go to them for food and cleaning, drugs etc.

chivava or something, why waste resources on DOGS? esecially little one with nothing to do but look pretty!?

Indeed, looked at in this way, pandas and dogs are very well adapted — to humans, who determine their survival. It’s an increasingly singular niche that likely all animals will fall into. In a million years, if humans are still around, probably all animals will look like stuffed toys.