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 (e.g. 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. Many species listed here are only Apex predators within certain environments, e.g. Coyotes are only apex predators when larger predators such as the Gray Wolf or the Brown Bear are absent.

Contents

Extant predators

These living carnivores or omnivores are apex predators.

The African Wild Dog is a predatory canine found across much of southern and central Africa.
The lion is a predatory feline of central and southern Africa. It is Africa's apex predator.
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 asterisk (*) are only apex predators as introduced species.

Extinct predators that were likely apex predators

These extinct carnivores or omnivores were apex predators.

Size comparison of selected apex predators
Dromornis was likely an apex predator
The Basilosaurus was known to be an apex Predator in the areas it lived in
The Smilodon was likely an apex predator
The largest Coelurosaur Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator
Spinosaurus was the largest ever land predator and was an apex predator

References

  1. ^ http://www.kidsgowild.com/kidsgowild/animalfacts/87891/87905
  2. ^ Bargagli, Roberto (2004). Antarctic Ecosystems. Springer. pp. 282–287. ISBN 3-540-22091-7. 
  3. ^ "ELECTROPHORUS ELECTRICUS". http://helium.vancouver.wsu.edu/~ingalls/eels/index.html 
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Levner, Eugene; Linkov, Igor; Proth, Jean-Marie (2005). Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems. Springer. p. 41. ISBN 1-402-03158-0. 
  8. ^ Conrad, Norman (2000). Reading the Entrails: An Alberta Ecohistory. University of Calgary Press. p. 9. ISBN 1-552-38012-2. 
  9. ^ "Rare & Extinct Creatures: Warrah or Falkland Islands Wolf". The Messybeast. http://www.messybeast.com/extinct/warrah.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-29. 
  10. ^ Prehistoric Predators - Monster Shark (TV-Series). National Geographic. 2007. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/prehistoric-predators/3573/Overview. 
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