Question

What are predators?

Answer 1

The wild animals that search, hunt and feed on other animals are known as predators. The animals on which the predators feed are called their prey.

Complete answer:
- Every animal needs food for its survival. Some animals are herbivores feeding on plants, some animals are carnivores feeding on flesh of other animals, while some animals are scavengers feeding on dead materials.
- Predators are carnivorous animals that attack and kill the other animals for food. Wild animals like lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, wild dog, bear, shark, kite, eagle, snake etc are all predators. The animals which predators kill and eat are called prey. A prey is usually smaller and weaker than its predator.

Examples of predator:

Lion: Lions have males and females that play a definite role. Males usually do not hunt. Their role is to protect the cubs and their territory. The aerial extent of their territories can be upto 260 sq.km. It is the female lions that search and hunt for prey. They generally hunt at night in groups. The weaker lionesses form a semicircle and using different tactics they bring the prey into the center, where the prey is attacked and killed by strong lionesses of the group. Their prey include animals like deer, bison, zebra, rhino, hippo, wild dog, young elephants, giraffes and crocodiles. They sometimes also kill and feed on smaller animals like tortoises, mice, lizards etc.

African Wild dog: African Wild dogs also attack in groups. They follow a very unique group hunting strategy. All the dogs in the group do not attack their prey at the one and same time. Instead they take rotations in attacking the prey. Some wild dogs make the prey run in one specific direction, where it is attacked by other wild dogs of the group which are already waiting for the prey to reach there. Their prey include animals like gazelles, wildebeest, warthogs, birds etc.

Note: Predators are organisms that feed on other organisms. The term predator is generally used for carnivorous animals that kill and eat other animals. However, the term predator can also be used for animals that feed on plants i.e. herbivorous animals. So, in a broader context, a predator can be an herbivorous animal or a carnivorous animal.