In nature special super powers have been assigned with a perfect balance between prey and it’s natural enemies. Some have special hearing capabilities, others are fast, can disguise themselves, jump high, lift enormous loads, fly, swim and so forth. But no animal has all of these, because it would offset the natural balance. The way it works, under normal circumstances the carnivores will hunt it’s prey, and the weakest will be the first to fall behind, leading to its death. This way the healthy animals with the fittest genes survive, and the ones with weaker genes become dinner, and are therefore denied the chance to reproduce themselves, subsequently strengthening the combined gene-pool for the species. If tigers were just a little bit faster, could jump a bit higher or camouflage itself like a chameleon, it would have a higher success-rate while hunting (according to Wikipedia they’re only successful in 1/20 hunts), leading to some happy tigers, and some long faced water buffalos. Because they would be more successful while hunting, there would be more food for the tiger families, which would lead to more tigers. Which then in turn would lead to even fewer water buffalos, and suddenly you have a downward going spiral. Just as all other animals, the tiger has the perfect amount of super powers to keep a healthy balance in nature, slowly strengthening the species it hunts because only the strongest are allowed to reproduce. If it was a bit faster it would take on its natural habitat like a 10$ all you can eat buffet, and if it was a bit slower weak genes would be allowed to pollute the gene-pool, weakening the species on the tigers menu.
The human species have evolved into a kind of super being. Our super power is our brain (at least for some of us), and unlike animals where their powers are contained solely in their bodies, we create technology so that we can choose which set of skills we want to carry with us on a specific day. The ability of long distance communication with other humans, fire deadly bullets from a far, or to momentarily scale up and let a tank represent our physical presence. Now both the tiger and the water buffalo have long faces, and with good reason as well. The reckless use of our super powers are accompanied by not so super environmental consequences, and the perfect natural balance that once was is now slanted. By stepping out of the natural circle of life on earth, we’ve upgraded our role from highly evolved monkeys into the role of God, but while doing so we’ve forgotten to upgrade our level of responsibility.
If all insects were to disappear from Earth, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings were to disappear from Earth, within 50 years all life forms would flourish.
– Jonas Edward Salk (b. 1914)