Would you climb up the leg of a giant?

[Noonling]

Do insects understand that humans are alive, like them, or do they think we're just some natural phenomenon, like a swaying tree or a babbling brook?

I had a spider winding its way up my leg without a care in the world. Imagine a giant with a footprint the size of a football field - even if there was heroin in its crotch I can't imagine climbing up its leg.

Or think when flies touch down onto your plate outside a restaurant, or even on your arm. Again, I would walk one town over to find food rather than be within swatting range of a giant.

I get that insects have small brains, but sometimes they appear really quite clever - see the awesome patterns of a web, or the camaraderie of ants. So are they just fearless?

[NoSleep]

Their behaviour is more akin to AI than our own. Instinct is just some script; if, then, goto, etc; a set of reactions. I don't think fear or anguish ever enters their heads nervous system (do they even have brains?)

A spider isn't an insect.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I have stood on the shoulders of giants-but they just said 'excuse me.  Do you mind not intruding on my personal space, please?'  So I apologied and got off.  They're more civilised than in medieval times.

[Noonling]

A spider isn't an insect.

Damn, I thought it would take at least three posts before someone would point that out.

[BlodwynPig]

Damn, I thought it would take at least three posts before someone would point that out.

web building doesn't equate to intelligence unless you are a human

[kittens]

if bugs are dumb explain slugs. always seemed pretty intelligent to me

[Thomas]

I don't think fear or anguish ever enters their heads nervous system

I have seen a moth cower.

Basically, the bigger an animal, the more complex its AI. It becomes plain old I when you reach mice. A blue whale is constantly doing cryptic crosswords in its head.

[idunnosomename]

Bugs are dumb sorry. Have you ever seen one keep flying at the glass when you've opened the pane next to it. Dumb bugs

[touchingcloth]

Has a spider ever called you big man?

[ZoyzaSorris]

Their behaviour is more akin to AI than our own. Instinct is just some script; if, then, goto, etc; a set of reactions. I don't think fear or anguish ever enters their heads nervous system (do they even have brains?)

A spider isn't an insect.

Yes they do have brains! (Inevitably quite small ones).

They are capable of quite complex behaviour. There is one jumping spider that can pre plan quite complex routes to best ambush a prey item it has spotted for example.

Mostly they are short-lived fast reproducing little buggers that play the numbers game though.

[NoSleep]

Bugs are dumb sorry. Have you ever seen one keep flying at the glass when you've opened the pane next to it. Dumb bugs

Their AI tells them that the way past an obstacle is to go over it, so always open a top window (not that it always helps). When fell walking in the Lake District, I noticed a preponderance of flies at the top of hills, presumably because they don't know how to fly back down to the bottom.

[ZoyzaSorris]

I doubt that they don't know how to get down hills to be honest! I think it is more they don't expect to meet transparent obstacles in nature.

Basically evolution has equipped them with various instinctive rules of thumb on how to react to situations that are likely to generally work well in the natural environments they evolved in but not with artificial challenges they haven't encountered over evolutionary timescales (see moths and lights etc).

[mrpupkin]

They only climb on people they perceive as unthreatening. Just remember the rhyme:

Should spider or insect appear on your bod
It is saying that you are not worthy of respect

[idunnosomename]

Can bugs consent?

[Ray Travez]

I doubt that they don't know how to get down hills to be honest!

I suspect that was a joke, and one I rather enjoyed.

[kittens]

bugs aren't dumb, they just have a different kind of intelligence. as alfred einstein said 'if we measure a fishes ability to climb a tree etc'.  bugs may not be able to do math or understand poens and art, or even be able to navigate simple mazes without killing themselves, but when it comes to sliding around the place all slimy and disgusting and being gross little disgusting bitches they're top of the class.

[idunnosomename]

Then i guess donald trump is the smartest bug of all!!!!!!!

[Endicott]

web building doesn't equate to intelligence unless you are a human

existence of internet seems to refute this

[Brian Freeze]

I have seen a moth cower.

I've seen a bee cower too, please tell us about this moth you have been bullying.

The bee was shagged out so I made some sugary water and it really looked to shrink back when I went to tip out the teaspoon. It was quite moving seeing it do that.

[Glebe]

You are now on the leg of the giant. Suddenly, an orc attacks. Do you:

a) Fight the orc.

b) Use the magic glove.

c) Jump down the leg.

[ZoyzaSorris]

I suspect that was a joke, and one I rather enjoyed.

Ah. Delivery a bit deadpan for my simple edcyzoan ganglion.

Of course we humans shouldn't get on our high horses. Obesity epidemic and various other chronic ailments of modern times are a product of our instincts bashing against the metaphorical windows of our artificial world. 

[JesusAndYourBush]

Yes they do have brains! (Inevitably quite small ones).

They are capable of quite complex behaviour. There is one jumping spider that can pre plan quite complex routes to best ambush a prey item it has spotted for example.

They are!  There's various species of spider where the female eats the male after mating...  with one of those species some of the males discovered that if they caught a small insect first they could throw it at the female after doing the act and it caused enough of a distraction so they could escape.  Then they took it a step further by learning that they didn't even have to catch an insect, that merely throwing a small piece of detritus like a crumpled up leaf was enough to distract the female so they could make their escape.

[Ferris]

You are now on the leg of the giant. Suddenly, an orc attacks. Do you:

a) Fight the orc.

b) Use the magic glove.

c) Jump down the leg.

Magic glove please!

[Dewt]

Would I!

[Thomas]

I've seen a bee cower too, please tell us about this moth you have been bullying.

The bee was shagged out so I made some sugary water and it really looked to shrink back when I went to tip out the teaspoon. It was quite moving seeing it do that.

I would never bully a moth. I saved it from my cat. It was one of these poplar hawk lads, with fancy wings:



My partner and I once cared for a bee overnight. We lived in a top floor flat. By morning the sugared patient still seemed knackered, and I nudged it out onto the windowsill to see if it might be roused. It tumbled and disappeared over the edge - and, after a heart-stopping few moments, it reappeared, zipping up and away, like that plane at the beginning of GoldenEye.

Best surprise insect sighting I ever had was a hummingbird moth. I was at work, skiving off to the canteen, and on returning to the office I told a colleague about the moth, because he had an interest in wildlife. He was jealous as he'd been wanting to see one for years.



In summary, yes, I would climb up to a giant's todger.

[imitationleather]

My nightmare would be waking up to find that ants are now driving cars.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

My nightmare would be waking up to find that ants are now driving cars.

One is-hopefully not still while drunk.

[Flatulent Fox]

Might be dangerous,but yes.

[Brian Freeze]

In summary, yes, I would climb up to a giant's todger.

Lovely moths there Thomas, we saw a hummingbird moth by accident while sat out at the in-laws. Amazing creature. I took a terrible photo of it. If I find it, I will post it in here.

[Cardenio I]

Might be dangerous,but yes.

RIP Queen of Hearts