this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
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I read a science fiction story where the human crew lands on a planet populated by intelligent alligators. The alligators produce hundreds of babies at a time. The Queen invites the humans to dinner and offers them a stew made from her own offspring...
How is that ever going to provide more energy than you put into it? That makes Matrix levels of sense.
Just think how inefficient most of what we do is. Most of our modern society is based on indulgence or complex societal norms (very inefficient from an energy perspective!). It is frankly absurd to think we would do anything only based on its efficiency... Similarly, an intelligent alligator society may just eat their young out of fun or because of societal norms.
Maybe it's just a delicacy.
I assume it would be a delicacy served for special occasions. Or a desert.
Although the alligator has a heavy body and a slow metabolism, it is capable of short bursts of speed, especially in very short lunges. Alligators' main prey are smaller animals they can kill and eat with a single bite. They may kill larger prey by grabbing it and dragging it into the water to drown. Alligators consume food that cannot be eaten in one bite
Support Wikipedia.
What does have to do with the energy efficiency of eating your own children?
It's early, maybe you need some more coffee?
They would eat other things as well as their babies.
Also, did you support Wikipedia?