Another mammalian ethology question: do prey species young (like deer fawns) play differently from predator species (like lion cubs?)
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Seems to me, in human play, "It" can be a predator OR prey role, sometimes depending on how "it" feels about being "it."
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In hide-and-seek for eg, "It" will play-act predator mode OR separation anxiety from group depending on personality, similarly, each hider
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play is also within-species dominance, not just modeling predator-prey dynamic
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yeah, except for apex, play would represent courtship rivalry, prey-mode survival, predator mode aggression
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how much of that due to physical affordances (claws vs hooves) vs behavior? Of course two are connected in evolution.



