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Wild nature is characterized by the struggle for survival, where all organisms seek to survive at all costs. Beyond dealing with cruel hunting and chasing interactions, the relationship between predators and prey is what allows communities to be in balance. In this Green Ecologist article we will talk about the importance of predators and prey, their characteristics and examples.
What are predators and prey and their characteristics
Predators are living beings that hunt other organisms, called prey, in order to feed and subsist through a energy transfer in the form of food. It is an interaction where one organism is benefited, while the other involved is harmed. The predator can consume a prey completely, or only take a part of it, although it causes considerable damage.
Usually the bloodthirsty example of ferocious animals hunting other small herbivorous animals comes to mind, but there are more types of predation. Predators can be omnivorous or carnivorous animals that hunt other animals. They can also be animals that eat plants, a type of predation known as herbivory. Although it may not seem credible, a predator can also be a plant, when it comes to extraordinary adaptations where they can prey on other animals, such as insects. Some authors define parasitism as another type of predation, where the parasite feeds on its prey while it is alive. If you want to know more information about Parasitism: definition and examples, do not hesitate to read this article that we recommend.
The relationship between prey and predator plays a important role in population dynamics, because without predators there would be an abundance of prey and, therefore, also their food. Regulation also works the same way, as the number of prey determines the number of predators.
Predator characteristics
The characteristics of predators focus on their abilities to locate, capture and consume prey. Therefore, we can highlight:
- Highly developed senses: like smell, vision and hearing, capable of recognizing prey from miles away.
- Developed structure: to be more agile than their prey, with muscles capable of traveling long distances at maximum speed, heavy suffocating bodies, sharp nails and teeth to tear their prey, or annihilating poisons.
- Striking for their prey: through aromas, such as certain carnivorous plants, or with attractive bioluminescence as a hook. Here you can learn more about how carnivorous plants feed.
Dam characteristics
Prey also have adaptive characteristics to defend themselves against predators.
- Camouflage ability: thanks to which they can go unnoticed in their environment. The colors can also serve as an alert, with vivid colors or patterns that indicate to predators that they may be in danger if they are harmed. If you are curious to know more animals that camouflage themselves, here you can find out more than 20 animals that camouflage themselves.
- Eyes to the sides: allowing them a vision of their surroundings and be on the lookout for predators. Their behavior is usually more alert and nervous than predators, so they are ready to run in case of threat.
- Mechanical defense structures before predators: like sharp thorns, or even
- Chemical defenses: like capsaicin from Chile that tries to prevent them from consuming it, although humans have learned to take a liking to it.
It must be borne in mind that the number of prey is also important, since, normally, it usually exceeds the number of predators.
Examples of predators and prey
In order to better understand the interaction between predators and prey, below we are going to exemplify some of these relationships.
Boa constrictor and vertebrates
The boa constrictor is a species of snake native to Mexico. It was introduced to other ecosystems causing serious losses of wild biodiversity due to its predatory nature. It does not have a particular prey, but takes advantage of all the vertebrate animals it finds, which can be mammals, birds or reptiles. They do not have poison, but they use their heavy body to suffocate prey. They hunt at night because they use the difference in temperature between the prey and the environment, detectable with their heat-sensitive lip scales. This nocturnal behavior, added to its arboreal location, makes bats their favorite food.
Rafflesia and meat flies
Rafflesia It is a genus of giant exotic flowers of deep red color and 100 centimeters in diameter. They simulate a dead animal, since they give off an intense aroma of putrefaction and even the heat they emit simulates a recently dead animal. Although it is unpleasant to humans, sarcophagid flies that lay their eggs in decomposing flesh are inevitably attracted to them, where they are swallowed up as prey. They are unable to photosynthesize, so they are double predators. In addition to preying on flies, they parasitize trees to survive.
Lynx and hare
The case of the lynx and the hare is an excellent example to understand the role that the relationship between predator and prey plays for population dynamics. The Canadian lynx feeds mainly on American hares and it has been observed that when hares are abundant, so do lynxes proportionally. These reach a point where raze available hares, so they must consume other animals such as foxes or deer that are not enough. This results in the decrease of lynxes due to lack of food. This is when the hares recover and the cycle can begin again.
Do not hesitate to take a look at this Green Ecologist article to find out why the Iberian lynx is in danger of extinction.
Examples of top predators
Although there are powerful predators, they can be consumed by other animals. This is how we get to the top predators. They are that are at the top of the food chain, no predator consumes them. It is thanks to them that the structure of ecosystems occurs, because they regulate other species either indirectly or directly. They are even indicators of healthy ecosystems. They are carnivorous and usually large. Some examples of them are:
Sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus it is a marine mammal that weighs up to 50 tons. Its diet is proportional to its size and is made up of whales, rays and squid, including the giant cephalopods of great depths, since it can dive more than any other mammal. To find their prey, they use echolocation. It also generates the loudest clicks in the animal kingdom, which stun their prey. In fact, the sperm whale has been estimated to be the largest predator ever.
Jaguar
Panthera onca It is the top predator of the neotropical forests. It has the characteristics of an excellent predator: speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour, a silent hunting tactic, and heavy legs with sharp claws capable of annihilating. Its mottled camouflage helps it ambush its prey, rather than chasing it. These can be deer, armadillos, crocodiles, snakes, cows, fish, and turtles or frogs. In addition, it has a unique lethal technique among felines, in which pierces the skull of its prey in the temporal bones all the way to the brain.
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos, with several subspecies, it has an excellent vision that it takes advantage of to glide from 3 kilometers high in search of its prey, which can range from rabbits to carnivorous mammals or deer. When opening its wings it can measure up to 2 meters and it uses a precise dive to fish its prey and pierce her lungs to kill her in a matter of seconds.
Perhaps you may also be interested in these other articles on What is a food chain or the trophic relationships of ecosystems, to finish training you on the subject.
If you want to read more articles similar to Predators and prey: examples and characteristics, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
Bibliography- Di Bitetti, M. (2008). Top predators and trophic waterfalls in terrestrial environments. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319532849_Depredadores_tope_y_cascadas_troficas_en_ambientes_terrestres
- Rogers, K. (2011). The Rise and Fall of the Canada Lynx and Snowshoe Hare. Britannica Blog. Available at: http://blogs.britannica.com/2011/06/rise-fall-canada-lynx-snowshoe-hare/
