One of the few times that I can promise this cat video is worth watching at work.
So for one, just enjoy the clip--even for the sake of good genuine play I even feel good seeing it happen. It's like seeing a fairly matched round of sparring with good sportsmanship on both sides unfold, and I love how the coyote plays at disadvantage to entice the cat. And lest we forget, this is still Year of the Dog -- and it's fair to assume that coyotes are part of the Canidae family, so we'll celebrate them here too.
On play, an overview:
In play, the process matters more than the outcome. Play, whether among people and/or other animals, gives us an opportunity to refine and hone skills necessary for survival. Whether hunting, stalking, evasion, or in conflict -- most evolutionary biologists tend to agree that it provides an opportunity to hone those behaviors in non-threatening settings.
On this video of a cat and coyote, a note about their play styles:
One of the things you'll note (and many other viewers noted) is that the coyote circles the cat--almost constantly--and often aims for the back legs (even if it's a playful headbutt) or just your legs (if you're bipedal).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAoWWM-ERpc
Circling is probably among the most challenging and confusing forms of an engagement to work with, at least for us untrained and unskilled humans. We're used to confronting and engagements that take place forward and back, maybe side to side or an angle in between, but we're not adept at engaging with a rotating diagonal movement that's literally designed to nip at the rear of our flanks.
If anything, it's a tactic, not a strategy. From what I gather between lots of comments and watching a few videos (so by no means am I an expert, just thoughtful observer, and possible speculator), the the "longer-term goal" (probably strategy) is to tire out and draw the coyote's prey out to the rest of the pack to take more effective action on securing their meal -- or get the prey right away while they're not expecting it.
Coyotes are known for circling and tiring out their prey.
In the wild cats are ambushing predators.
To see what it's like as a human trying to handle a coyote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI
As a random tangent: While the martial art aikido is often maligned for its complexity and the way it's taught (often non-intuitive motions that don't work in certain environments, as a reactive discipline it has no ways to spar therefore few ways to really test its fundamentals among fellow practitioners, etc.), one of the things it's known for looking good at are its circular motions. And in many martial arts, moving in ways that render the opponent's line of momentum harmless by shifting slightly out of the way is often the best choice. Used offensively, the same principle likely applies, but it feels challenging to to describe and grasp without doing a lot of kinesthetic arts like martial arts or dance for a bit longer. From a very practical standpoint, circular motions can also be useful as a way to recollect energy exerted after a strike--after indirectly punching through an opponent (so not a straight jab), knowing how to rebound and follow-through with the punch can spare you a lot of wasted energy. All of this stuff looks interesting and, to me at least, tends to appear a little more nuanced than what makes sense at first glance.
Maybe I'm seeing things under the influence of comment sections, you can see for yourself. Or better yet, try it out if you have a cat (dogs seem to navigate circular motions with greater ease and efficiency than cats though--unless laser pointers are present, then it's anyone's game) when it tries to play or snuggle up against you.
So for one, just enjoy the clip--even for the sake of good genuine play I even feel good seeing it happen. It's like seeing a fairly matched round of sparring with good sportsmanship on both sides unfold, and I love how the coyote plays at disadvantage to entice the cat. And lest we forget, this is still Year of the Dog -- and it's fair to assume that coyotes are part of the Canidae family, so we'll celebrate them here too.
On play, an overview:
In play, the process matters more than the outcome. Play, whether among people and/or other animals, gives us an opportunity to refine and hone skills necessary for survival. Whether hunting, stalking, evasion, or in conflict -- most evolutionary biologists tend to agree that it provides an opportunity to hone those behaviors in non-threatening settings.
On this video of a cat and coyote, a note about their play styles:
One of the things you'll note (and many other viewers noted) is that the coyote circles the cat--almost constantly--and often aims for the back legs (even if it's a playful headbutt) or just your legs (if you're bipedal).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAoWWM-ERpc
If anything, it's a tactic, not a strategy. From what I gather between lots of comments and watching a few videos (so by no means am I an expert, just thoughtful observer, and possible speculator), the the "longer-term goal" (probably strategy) is to tire out and draw the coyote's prey out to the rest of the pack to take more effective action on securing their meal -- or get the prey right away while they're not expecting it.
Coyotes are known for circling and tiring out their prey.
In the wild cats are ambushing predators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI
As a random tangent: While the martial art aikido is often maligned for its complexity and the way it's taught (often non-intuitive motions that don't work in certain environments, as a reactive discipline it has no ways to spar therefore few ways to really test its fundamentals among fellow practitioners, etc.), one of the things it's known for looking good at are its circular motions. And in many martial arts, moving in ways that render the opponent's line of momentum harmless by shifting slightly out of the way is often the best choice. Used offensively, the same principle likely applies, but it feels challenging to to describe and grasp without doing a lot of kinesthetic arts like martial arts or dance for a bit longer. From a very practical standpoint, circular motions can also be useful as a way to recollect energy exerted after a strike--after indirectly punching through an opponent (so not a straight jab), knowing how to rebound and follow-through with the punch can spare you a lot of wasted energy. All of this stuff looks interesting and, to me at least, tends to appear a little more nuanced than what makes sense at first glance.
Maybe I'm seeing things under the influence of comment sections, you can see for yourself. Or better yet, try it out if you have a cat (dogs seem to navigate circular motions with greater ease and efficiency than cats though--unless laser pointers are present, then it's anyone's game) when it tries to play or snuggle up against you.
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