On 19 May 2004 07:23:09 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

Piranhas attacking something dropped in the water.
Debatable whether that behaviour is useless nowadays. A fair amount of
edible dead animals or fruit will fall into the rivers and lakes. The times
they get it wrong are more than compensated for by the times they get to
the food first.

The grasp reflex of human newborns.
That's a good one. Also the "diving reflex".

If I recall, Gould has other examples.
Not one to shy away from controversy, was Gould.


Don't rule out the ant/ladybird larvae battles as being started by the
larvae They are aggressive hunters and may well have started attacking the
ants first.

--
Tim C.