Great White Shark, Human and Other Animal Killers

June 25, 2009

At Discovery News this week you can read about the connections between great white sharks and human serial killers.

(Credit for shark images: Neil Hammerschlag)
 

Both great white sharks and humans stalk targeted victims, staying close enough to watch, but far enough away to avoid being captured themselves. They also travel within limited areas using known routes that seem to follow defined patterns. But humans are unique in the way that they can kill, perhaps having more in common with wild cats.

Neil Hammerschlag, a University of Miami shark expert who worked on the recent great white study, told me that the big difference between great white shark killers and human serial murderers is motive.

"Sharks are a lot more civilized than most people are," he said, explaining that great whites only kill out of necessity, to satisfy hunger or to defend themselves against potential threats.

So how then, from a scientific standpoint, do we explain human serial killers? I've been reading a fascinating new book called "The Anatomy of Evil" by Michael Stone, professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. One way to understand murder is to find patterns shared by killers. Check out this passage from his book, which compares Adolf Hitler to Charles Manson:

"If Hitler is evil with a capital E, Manson is Hitler with a small 'h.' Both got others to do the killing for them. Both targeted victims of their blood-deep prejudices. Both rose from obscurity to celebrity through evil. Both were energized by hatred to seek a revolution that would turn the world upside down. Instead of being 'nothings' whom no one would notice, now they would become emperors, noticed and feared by all.  Both ensured their fame through the murder of 'high-profile' groups: for Hitler, the Jews; for Manson, the rich and the famous."

Charles Manson Mugshot
San Quentin Correctional Center

I was reminded of an interesting study, accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behavior, concerning African lions. After observing the lions at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, authors Anna Mosser and Craig Packer concluded that "males may use lethal aggression to tip the balance of power in favor of their prides." For wild cats and humans, individuals can then feel "rewarded" by such ultimate anti-social acts.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons) 

Kernberg says there are no "evil genes," so no one is born a ruthless serial killer, in his view. But he does admit that an individual's genetic makeup can predispose them to later aggression, if environmental conditions and other factors come into play.

Empathy could play a role. A study released this week by Vanderbilt University shows how we may all differ in our ability to understand and respond to the mental state of others, which may be tied to the brain's visual/spatial capabilities. Could this help to explain the prevalence of bullying among human adults? Yet another group of studies came out this week on bullying in the work place, which seems to be on the rise. My own view is that as long as this behavior goes unchecked by others, and the bullies can benefit by their actions, the bullying will continue. The same would hold true for serial killers. If we did not police their behavior, they would continue killing.

Great white sharks and humans may then both share refined hunting skills, with the ability to hunt in a highly focused manner, but their motives, as Hammerschlag pointed out, couldn't be any more different.