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List of apex predators

 
Wikipedia: List of apex predators
 
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This is a partial list of apex predators - those predators that are not preyed upon as healthy adults in the wild. Full scavengers (i.e. most vultures), although they may not be preyed on either, are not counted as apex predators unless they at least partially depend on capturing live prey.

Contents

Extant predators

The African Wild Dog is the apex predator across much of southern and central Africa.
The clouded leopard is an apex predator of East Asia.
The lion is a predatory feline of central and southern Africa.
The Gray Wolf is a predatory canine of North America and Eurasia.
The Komodo Dragon is the largest living lizard and the top predator of the Komodo (island).
The largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian Devil is both a scavenger and a fierce predator.

On land

The Golden Eagle is a bird of prey found across most of the Northern hemisphere.
The South Polar Skua both bullies other seabirds for their catches and preys on the other seabirds.

In the air


The American alligator is the apex predator of the marshlands in the southern USA.
The Electric rays are marine predators of the tropics.
The Orca or Killer Whale is the apex predator of most of the world's oceans.
The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest living reptile and is the dominant predator throughout its range.

In aquatic environments

Notes: Animals with an "*" are only apex predators as introduced species

Extinct predators that were likely apex predators

Size comparision of selected apex predators

References

  1. ^ http://www.kidsgowild.com/kidsgowild/animalfacts/87891/87905
  2. ^ Dinerstein, Eric (2005). Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations. Island Press. p. 113. ISBN 1-559-63578-9. 
  3. ^ Bargagli, Roberto (2004). Antarctic Ecosystems. Springer. pp. 282–287. ISBN 3-540-22091-7. 
  4. ^ ELECTROPHORUS ELECTRICUS, http://helium.vancouver.wsu.edu/~ingalls/eels/index.html 
  5. ^ DeMartini, Edward E., Friedlander, Alan M., and Holzwarth, Stephani R. (2005). "Size at sex change in protogynous labroids, prey body size distributions, and apex predator densities at NW Hawaiian atolls". Marine ecology progress series 297: 259 -271. ISSN: 0171-8630. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
  6. ^ a b Lepak, Jesse M., Kraft, Clifford E., and Weidel, Brian C. (2006). "Rapid Food Web Recovery in Response to Removal of an Introduced Apex Predator". Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63(3): 569-575. ISSN: 0706-652X. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
  7. ^ Kuhn, Carey E., McDonald, Birgitte I., Shaffer, Scott A., Barnes, Julie, Crocker, Daniel E., Burns, Jennifer, and Costa, Daniel P. (2006). "Diving physiology and winter foraging behavior of a juvenile leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)". Polar Biology 29(4): 303-307. ISSN: 0722-4060. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
  8. ^ Levner, Eugene; Linkov, Igor; Proth, Jean-Marie (2005). Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems. Springer. p. 41. ISBN 1-402-03158-0. 
  9. ^ Conrad, Norman (2000). Reading the Entrails: An Alberta Ecohistory. University of Calgary Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-552-38012-2. 
  10. ^ "Rare & Extinct Creatures: Warrah or Falkland Islands Wolf" (HTML). The Messybeast. http://www.messybeast.com/extinct/warrah.htm. Retrieved on 2008-03-29. 
  11. ^ Loft, Kurt. "Museum Opens Giant Shark Exhibit". TBO. http://www.tbo.com/news/scitech/MGBJ4K8Y13F.html. 

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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