Predators of the Oceans

Predators of the Oceans

  Apex predators are at the top level of the ocean’s food chain. They have no natural predators of their own as they prey on the smaller animals. Apex predators reduce the numbers of other smaller but more common predators. There are many kinds of big sharks and other predatory fish in the ocean. But they are not the only kind predators. Large marine mammals such as the polar bear also are also apex predators. But the true apex predator in the ocean is the killer whale. There are many different groups of killer whales that feed on different prey from fish to other larger whales. Killer whales are like the wolves of the oceans because they hunt in social groups after prey much bigger than themselves. But they are not biggest tooth whale or biggest predators on Earth. That would be the sperm whale.

Lions

Lions

  Lions are the second largest big cat after the tigers. Male lion with its characteristic mane is one of the best known of all predators. The male lion’s mane serves a number of purposes. Their color and size shows the males health and maturity. Lionesses are known to favor males with healthily looking mane. It also makes the male lion look bigger and more intimidating to other loins and to the spotted hyena. 

  Male lions are taller the tigers can weigh more than 500 pounds as adults. Lions are the most social of all cats. They live in groups called prides with at least one male, five or more related lioness, and their cubs. After the cubs become adults they are force to leave the pride. They become wandering nomads looking for different prides to join or start their own. Lions have specific roles in the pride base on gender and they display sexual dimorphism. The lionesses in the pride do most of the hunting. The males patrol the fringes the prides territory and help protect their cubs when the lionesses are gone.  

  They hunt groups mostly at night using stealth to get close to the potential victim and then make fast coordinated ambush attack. Most of their prey is large mammals like zebras, wildebeest, impalas, buffaloes, wild boar, and deer. It not uncommon for lions the steal kills from other predators and eat carrion. Lions are apex predators in Africa but feed on the same prey as spotted hyenas. The two species challenge each other over food and space. Violent attacks are not uncommon. Because the spotted hyenas are smaller the lions will steal their kills. Spotted hyenas will leave or wait until the lions are done. Rarely do spotted hyenas force the lions away from their kills. 

  Lions in the wild live today in sub-Saharan Africa with a small population in India. In the ancient past lions could be found in both North and South America, from Europe to India, and in most of Africa. They were one of the most wide spread mammals on Earth along with humans and wolves. Because of habitat loss and growing human populations lions have declined to the point of becoming endangered.

Tigers

Tigers

  The tiger is the largest cat in the world. It has unusually strong big teeth. Its canines are the longest of all living cats. Tigers use their large powerful heads and forelimbs to bring down prey. It is the third largest predator in the world on land. Only polar bears and brown bears are bigger. The Siberian tiger the living in the Russian Far East and Manchurian is the largest. It is also one of the biggest cats that has ever lived base on the fossil record. Large males can weigh more than 600 pounds and reach a length of more than 10 feet. The smallest is the Sumatran tiger about half as large. Tigers once lived from the forest of central Asia to the jungles and islands of East Asia in a variety of habitats. in just hundred years tigers have lost almost all of their historic range. Some species of tigers have gone extinct because of man. The number of tigers in the wild could be less the 4,000 individuals. 

  

  Tigers live mostly solitary lives on large territorial home ranges large enough to support the game the tiger preys on. They normally live only in their home range and avoid other nearby tigers. However their home ranges can overlap each other and during mating season or when there is abundant prey tigers are found together mating, hunting, or sharing prey. At the same time young adult tiger in search of territories of their own will challenge and sometimes kill older males.

 

  The Tigers hunt mostly at night for large and medium prey. Their strips are camouflage that breaks up their outline and blends them into the background. Water buffalo, large deer, antelope, moose, tapir, camels, Eurasian bison, yaks, wild horses, wild boar, and sloth bears are all large and dangerous animals hard to take down. Even the young of Indian elephants and rhinoceros are not safe. Tigers will prey on even more dangerous large predators such as leopards, pythons, and crocodiles. The smaller prey includes monkeys, peacocks, rabbits, and even fish. Unlike most cats they are excellent swimmers. 

  Tigers hunt alone stalking their prey. They try approaching close enough undetected to leap at the animal knocking it to the ground. Then over power the prey holding it down forelimbs. The tiger uses it powerful jaws to grab a hold of the throat and neck breaking the spinal cord, crushing the windpipe, severing the necks veins and arteries leading to blood lose or strangulation. Tiger’s ambush their prey, overpowers it, and then kills it with their teeth.

Big Cats

Big Cats

  Big cats are the common loose term used to describe the larger species of cats that are apex predators from the smaller cats. Members include the tiger, lion, cheetah, leopard,  jaguar, cougar, snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. Despite of the size difference between the large and small cats there is very little difference between them with the exception of the cheetah because it evolved to run at extreme speed.

Wolves

Wolves

  The gray wolf is the largest species of the family of Canidae and is adapted to hunting large prey like bison, moose, elk, deer, caribou, wild pigs, and bighorn sheep. Canidae are a family of animals that includes common domestic dogs, coyotes, foxes, and jackals. As well as less common Indian wild dog, African wild dog, the raccoon dog and other lesser known types. The wolf is the ancestor of the domestic dog. Wolves inhabit the wilderness across the northern hemisphere and parts of Africa.

  Wolves are intelligent and highly social animals that normally live in a wolf pack family of 6 to 12 individuals. Some wolf packs are larger. There are exceptions but lone wolfs are rare. The alpha male and female is dominant over all the other wolfs in wolf pack. Breeding and raising wolf cubs are the greatest priority. Wolves are very territorial and they establish territories using scent markings and howling. If this fails discourage other wolf packs from crossing over then violence will be used. Wolves are more likely to be killed by other wolves in territorial fights.    

  Wolf packs will travel tirelessly in their establish territory in search of prey. When hunting the wolves work together as a pack. With large prey such as the bison or elk are found the wolf basic tactic is to stalk the herd of prey animals. They use an ambush attack to create a panic in the herd that forces the animals to run. The wolf pack will then break up the herd to single out the weak or sick animals. Once the prey animal has been single out there is protracted chase in order to run it down. The animal is surrounded and attack on the flanks, rear, and if possible the soft under belly. Biting off large pieces causes substantial blood loss and the animal falls. First wolves will eat the internal organs then move on to muscles.

  After the prey is brought down the wolves will tear the carcass to pieces following a strict hierarchy where the dominant pair and their cubs are eating first. They are not limited to large prey. Wolves will eat almost any kind of small animal when the large prey is in short supply. Rodents are part of wolves’ diet. Rabbits, ground squirrels, mice, voles, will be eaten when caught. When even that food is in short supply they will then eat birds, snakes, insects, lizards and carrion they come across.   

  They are the apex predators with few natural predators of their own. But they are challenged by large brown bears over kills. The Brown bears and gray wolfs seem to be evenly match. In the Russian Far East tigers and gray wolfs have competed for the same game and territory. Other than man what few tigers that are left are the wolf only predators.