The Predator- hunter of man and xenomorph alike, stalking the most dangerous prey in
the galaxy for sport.
In today’s episode of The Infographics Show, we explore: You vs the Predator could you
survive it?
First it's important to know your enemy.
Predators, or Yautja, are a humanoid species with technology far more advanced than our
own.
Theirs is a hierarchical society based on merit, given out by each individual's specific
prowess when it comes to hunting dangerous game.
For the Yautja, the more dangerous the prey, the greater the sport and the greater the
glory.
Predators are bound by a code of honor that dictates their behavior on a hunt: they do
not hunt the weak, the pregnant, or those unable to defend themselves.
To violate this code is to lose all honor and be thrown out of their clan, forever earning
the title of Bad Blood and subject to being exterminated on sight.
Though armed with advanced weaponry, predators often prefer to use simple melee weapons on
a hunt, as they see it far more honorable to face dangerous prey this way rather than
rely on technology.
If overwhelmed or defeated however, it is every Predator's duty to prevent another species
from using their technology, and thus it will activate a powerful self-destruct device carried
on their person which is equivalent to a miniature nuclear weapon.
Such a death is still seen as honorable in Predator society, but failing to prevent their
technology from falling into the wrong hands is extremely dishonorable- a Predator who
lets this happen is expected to return or destroy that technology at all costs, even
if that cost is their own life.
So, let's say you were the target of a Predator on a hunt- what could you expect to go up
against and how might you counter it?
The first consideration is a Predator's physiology itself.
On average, a Predator stands over 7 feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds, with the
average human standing about 5' 7” and weighing 180lbs; this means very few if any humans
could ever hope to match the physical strength of a Predator.
Their bodies are also extremely resilient to physical damage- on a hunt in New York
City, a predator received several gunshot wounds from a .44 pistol and had a hand amputated,
yet survived, needing nothing more than some basic first aid.
Although its wounds did force it to terminate its hunt and try to flee the planet, so if
you were to damage one enough, you might not kill it but might force it to run away.
Despite their size, Predators are also extremely agile, and have repeatedly been shown to hunt
across roofs and treetops- in fact seeming to prefer using high trees and the like over
running on the ground.
If running from a Predator, climbing will clearly be a very bad idea.
A Predator's vision is also a major consideration if you're being hunted by one.
Predators evolved to see in the infrared spectrum, and yet have a clear preference for hot, equatorial
climates.
This hints at Predators evolving on a tidally locked planet where one side of the planet
was always facing a scorching sun, spreading its heat to the permanent dark side facing
away from the sun.
If Predators evolved on the nighttime side of the planet, it would explain their ability
to see in infrared and not normal light as we see- our vision would be useless in permanent
dark, but spotting the body heat of prey against the cold nighttime sky would be much easier.
This infrared vision is extremely useful in the dark, but becomes a serious handicap in
full daylight or when ambient temperatures are too high and heat signatures blend into
each other.
To counter this, Predators developed a Bio-Mask worn by every hunter- the mask allows Predators
to fine tune their infrared vision and to also see in different scopes of the ultraviolet
spectrum.
If hunted by one, you can use a Predator's natural vision against it by trying to mask
your body heat, most famously done by American special forces Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer
to defeat a Predator in the South American jungles.
Mud, as in Major Schaefer's example, is a good insulator, but like anything else you
apply directly to your body, it will quickly warm up and start to give you away.
Space blankets are effective at capturing body heat, and might work in a pinch- but
they too will quickly begin to warm up and be ineffective.
Your best bet is to try stick to an environment that comes close to matching your body heat,
such as a sun-warmed brick wall, or standing under a vent belching out warm air.
You can also try to create fires around you so as to confuse a Predator's vision with
multiple, chaotic heat sources- or in a pinch, lighting rubber on fire will create thick
smoke filled with rubber particles that very effectively block infrared light.
Generally staying put under something thick and insulating will be your best bet, but
if you must move, try to limit your movement to the two thermal crossovers a day- just
after sunset and just after sunrise.
Changes in ambient temperature during these two time periods will greatly confuse anyone
using infrared vision.
Sooner or later though, you're likely going to come face to face with your hunter.
Predators prefer close quarters kills, and are equipped with a variety of weapons to
use at melee, or near melee range.
From hunting spears to ritual knives, power fists and even a specialized thrown Cyber
Disk- if you are in close quarters with a Predator, your odds of survival are going
to drop dramatically.
However, just because a Predator chooses to hunt you with a knife and spears doesn't mean
you have to defend yourself the same way.
For close quarters, you'll want to arm yourself with something that can deliver a lot of stopping
power in a very short time; take a cue from most military and civilian emergency urban
action teams and get your hands on a shotgun.
The US military's preferred close-quarters weapon, from the 1980 till today, is the Mossberg
590A1, a 9-round, 12-gauge shotgun that is absolutely deadly at close range.
With .44 rounds proving to do little but slow a Predator, a chest full of 12 gauge buckshot
will likely be enough to give a hunting Predator pause- especially when a Mossberg's fast action
allows a rate of fire of up to 1 shell a second for a trained operator.
You can also equip yourself with various types of exotic shotgun rounds, such as Dragon's
Breath rounds that shower your target with Magnesium burning at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit
(2204 Celsius).
The plus side is that not only will you cause major damage to the Predator stalking you,
but you'll likely confuse its vision by throwing so much heat into the environment.
But if you prove to be too dangerous a game, beware- Predators have one final weapon at
their disposal that is all but indefensible: the infamous Plasma Caster.
Mounted on one, or sometimes both shoulders, the Plasma Caster is an independently targeting,
rapid-firing weapon that works by superheating gas and discharging it as plasma.
Capable of blasting through solid steel and concrete walls, there's little defense against
a Predator's Plasma Caster other than trying to disable the device before the Predator
can use it.
Physically formidable and armed with high-tech weaponry, Predators are nearly unstoppable,
and if you're ever hunted by one, your odds of survival are realistically very small.
Your best bet would be to hole up somewhere and try to mask your body heat until the Predator
moves on, but you could always try trickery by feigning to be weak or helpless prey- although
Predators do seem to have some ability to perform visual diagnostics of human physiology.
The Yautja are not unkillable, and several humans have proven they have what it takes
to kill one, or even multiple Predators, and survive- but to do so is going to require
every ounce of willpower, skill, and physical toughness you have.
So, how would you try to outsmart and outfight a Predator?
Let us know in the comments!
Also be sure to check out our other video called American Kids vs European Kids, How
do they compare?!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!