Cool definition of parasite on the wiki

"The entomologist E. O. Wilson has characterised parasites as "predators that eat prey in units of less than one""

That is what I thought, too, although it is not that simple; for one thing, what you will define as "one unit" also is not that simple.

(I suppose, due to this, "hyperparasite" is even less going to be clearly defined than this.)

Another comment says "parasites that subsist on the food consumed by the host rather than the host itself". That is also seems to be a good point too; how to handle that consideration, too?

If your unit is "Soul", like in the airline or Buddhist industry(0), things might simplify, though it still kills Wilsons intention, for all social predators, including humans, are become parasites..

To your second consideration, some and perhaps all souls practise autophagy (via computation)

(0)"The practice of spreading the whale out among many people is based in the Buddhist principle that it's better to sacrifice a single soul to feed many than to kill many animals to feed one person."

(0)http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2010/03/a_taste_of_whale.php

That doesn't seem to cover parasites that subsist on the food consumed by the host rather than the host itself. Tapeworms for example.

EOW has good writings and that is a creative definition. But "units" may be a stretch. It's not like there's a health bar and enough parasites deplete it. Limited language.

I always thought it meant the predator depends on a specific host for its survival which is also its prey. Else, are humans hyperparasaites because we eat and domesticate other predators?

That's us!

The concept extends to viruses as well, with some small viruses infecting other, larger ones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virophage

People scamming crypto people.

thanks, I needed a good chuckle today

You're welcome

It's parasites all the way down.

Trickledown Paranomics.

  So, Nat'ralists observe, a Flea
  Hath smaller Fleas that on him prey,
  And these have smaller yet to bite 'em,
  And so proceed ad infinitum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaptera_(poem)

these times are especially appropriate for discussion of parasites

What would you call two parasites parasiting each other? Or a parasite parasiting himself?

Also does this exist?

I do know snakes occasionally eat themselves. There are pics of this online.

The Clergy

Parasitoid Wasps are an interesting animal. My favorite are Tarantula Hawks. We have a species in Florida despite not having Tarantulas.

The parasite of my parasite is my friend.

the article seems mean

Inparaseption

The observation is slightly older than Nolan:

  So, Nat'ralists observe, a Flea
  Hath smaller Fleas that on him prey,
  And these have smaller yet to bite 'em,
  And so proceed ad infinitum.

Swift, “On Poetry” (1733), https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Works_of_the_Rev._Jonatha...

so Meta

I have finally found a good term for the management in a big tech corporation!

Thank you!

You mean Metaparasite, right?

metastasis

This is what I come here for. Thank you.

You mean middle-management?