In the film AVATAR, which I watched a few nights ago, there is a scene where the hero wants to ‘tame’ a monstrous and very dangerous flying creature, a sort of T. Rex with wings and a double-sided axe for a head. To tame it he has to ride it. He decides that he should approach it from above on his current, much lesser flying creature and then drop onto its back. The reason he gives for this approach is that the giant predator, being the top predator, will not need to keep a watch out for danger and so will not look up.
I think the giant WOULD be keeping a watch up, and down and all around as well. All creatures do. All animals are very alert. When an animal is not alert you know it is sick. If anyone has a pet cat they will notice that when it doses in the sun or on the heater its ears twitch this way and that in response to all the sounds around it, and if it picks up something interesting the head will come up and the eyes open and it will be instantly fully awake.
Alert = healthy. Alert = keeping an eye open for fun and opportunity. Animals and birds do not NEED to keep a special watch out for predators because they are just naturally very alert when healthy.
When I walk down the street and I see young people who seem quite healthy in other respects I can’t help noticing that lack of sparkle in the eye, that lack of alertness, that lack of interest in their surroundings that all wild animals have and I just know that points to problems – these children and youths are not really healthy. Something is wrong.