Our planet is populated by millions of different living things. What animals are predatory? Today we want to talk about this topic. We will introduce you to the most dangerous animals.
White shark
In the sky, on earth and in water, predatory animals live. An example of a water predator is a white shark. Any living creature noticed by a shark has virtually no chance of survival. This fish can be called predator No. 1, since its hunting abilities are truly unique. She is able to move very quickly. The streamlined shape of the body allows you to do this completely silently, to perform incredible underwater maneuvers. She can even jump out of water to hit her victim.
The white shark has several rows of sharp teeth. If these large predators lose at least one of them, a new one grows in its place in a very short time. Over the entire life of this animal, fifty thousand teeth can change!
"King of beasts"
When we talk about predatory animals, many immediately imagine beautiful and powerful lions. They reach a length of two and a half meters, and the weight can be 225 kg. These wild predators have a powerful, but rather slender body. The head is large, with a slightly elongated muzzle. Paws are not very tall, but muscular and very strong. A long tail (from sixty to ninety centimeters) with a tassel at the end. A characteristic feature of these animals is a long mane that covers the shoulders, neck and chest. The rest of the body is covered with brownish-yellow short hair. The mane has a slightly darker color.
Today, predatory lions live in Central Africa, and in very small numbers, in India - in the state of Gujarat, a small number lives in the Gir forests.
There is a misconception that they live in deserts. Predators of Africa, in particular lions, prefer savannas. An open landscape, many different ungulate animals, saving waterfalls where you can always quench your thirst. The lion needs a plentiful drink, so the presence of a reservoir for him is vital. These are very powerful and powerful predators. Lions prey on ungulates. Catching up with their victim, they develop a speed of more than 60 km / h.
Predatory animals: an example is a leopard
This beautiful cat is distributed throughout Africa, perhaps excluding only the Sahara. These animals have amazing grace and beauty. They have an elongated, slender and flexible body (from ninety to one hundred eighty centimeters), a long tail (up to one hundred and ten centimeters). These African predators weigh, as a rule, about forty kilograms, but occasionally there are larger individuals weighing up to one hundred kilograms. Their fur is thick, but not very fluffy, it has a bright color. The inhabitants of the Far East, the fur is more fluffy and thicker, and the color is much paler.
Leopard is an inhabitant of tropical, subtropical forests, mountain slopes and plains, thickets on the banks of rivers. Quite often, these predatory animals, photos of which you see in this article, settle near settlements, keep alone, go hunting at night.
Leopards move beautifully through the trees, often settle there for a day's rest or ambush. Sometimes they catch monkeys on trees, but usually hunt on the ground. In the reserves of tropical Africa, where Russian tourists like to visit, cheetahs, lions and other large predators are common. In addition, here you can see smaller animals, rodents.
Grizzly is dangerous and treacherous
This is a brown bear of North America. Rising to his feet, he can reach a height of two meters, while his weight often exceeds three hundred and eighty kilograms. With powerful paws and huge jaws, he can easily kill a person.
Predatory animals, such as the grizzly bear, can feed on different mammals, including large ones. Despite their impressive size, these animals run fast and swim well. If you meet him in the wild, know that it is very dangerous. It is best in this situation to become at full height and not let the bear run. It has a tremendous speed of up to sixty-five kilometers per hour. If you try to run away from him, then you will only provoke his hunting instinct.
Wolves
These, of course, are predatory animals, whose photos do not need to be shown to anyone. Most of the most dangerous individuals prefer to live alone, relying solely on their own strength. However, most live in packs. It’s easier to get food. Success in hunting usually depends on all members of the pack. The hunt begins with the pursuit of prey, which flees from angry predators. A dominant male is hunting. As soon as the victim accidentally stumbles and falls, the pack immediately surrounds and kills him.
Komodo lizard
This is one of the largest lizards in the world, a very large reptile, whose weight reaches 150 kg and a length of 3 meters. This predator has tremendous strength, speed, and the ability to knock down an animal twice as heavy as he is. The bite of the monitor lizard is poisonous, so even if the victim manages to escape from the predator, his watch is numbered.
A monitor lizard awaits its victim in ambush. When necessary, he can quickly catch up with her, not only on land, but also in water. At one time, the monitor lizard is able to eat meat half its own weight! Good appetite …
Predator fish
Perhaps the most notorious (with the exception of a few marine predators) earned piranha. Looking at her predatory expression of "face", sharp teeth, it becomes somehow uncomfortable. Piranha lives in fresh water in South America. Typically, these predators feed on dawn or dusk. They wait in the water for small animals that accidentally find themselves there. In some cases, the fish are combined in groups for joint hunting. In this case, they pose a huge danger to larger animals: horses, cows, and even to humans.
The names of predators can be collected in huge lists. It is not only tigers, wolves, lions, panthers. There are snakes, birds, freshwater and others.
Black Mamba
This huge poisonous snake lives in Africa. It owes its name to black skin on the inside of the mouth, which it opens wide before applying the bite.
Under normal conditions, these snakes are usually quite calm, but if they are slightly disturbed, they can be aggressive. Attacking the victim, they try to inflict several bites, injecting deadly poison. More recently, a black mamba bite was fatal. Today, scientists have found an antidote, so fatalities are much less common.
Crocodiles
Predatory animals, the photos of which you see in this article, are very dangerous. However, there is nothing worse than a predator waiting for its prey in the water, merging with the environment, watching its prey for hours, preparing to make a deadly throw.
Crocodile is a bloodthirsty and secretive predator. Powerful jaws, sharp teeth allow him to catch many animals. Nile crocodile is able to fill up even a buffalo. As a rule, he lies motionless at the surface of the water, waiting for the animal to come to the watering place. The crocodile rushes suddenly and drags prey under water.
Spider - Tarantula
Not always a person is much weaker physically than predatory animals. An example of this is tarantula spiders. They are very impressive in size, and they are also silent and skillful hunters. Not a single small animal can escape from their tenacious paws. The tarantula knows how to wait. He waits for his prey, and as soon as it enters the field of his reach, he pounces on it. In this case, the victim has no chance of survival. In diameter, the body of the tarantula can reach 13 cm, and the swing of the paws - up to 30 cm! They instantly immobilize prey, douse it with their gastric juice and eagerly eat it.
Bird predators
This rather extensive detachment united four families:
- falcons;
- Condors
- secretaries;
- hawks.
Bird predators live around the world except Antarctica. The largest of them is the Canadian condor. It lives on the South American coast of the Pacific Ocean and in the Andes. The wingspan reaches three meters, and the length is up to 1 meter 35 centimeters. Such a giant weighs up to 15 kilograms. The bird has long been listed in the Red Book of the planet. It has a beautiful plumage. Black shiny feathers all over the body are perfectly shaded by a light, almost white “collar”. In addition, the males have a bright red comb on their heads. Head and neck are not plumage. The huge beak makes it look awesome. Most often it feeds on carrion. He will not refuse to feast on the chicks and eggs of other birds. In search of food for the day can overcome the path of 200 km. A bird lives for about 50 years. They usually nest on a rocky cliff, in remote places at an altitude of up to five meters above sea level.
Eagle - White Tail
This is the largest bird of prey in Russia. Its wingspan reaches two meters and weighs 7 kg. Young birds are lighter in color than adults. They settle more often on trees, but sometimes they build nests on rocks. For a long time, this bird was destroyed, because it was believed that it harms farmland. Now it is protected by the state.
Saker Falcon (Sokolin family)
A large bird living in open spaces or on the foothills of Asia and Europe. In the southern regions the saker leads a nomadic and sometimes sedentary lifestyle, in the north it is a migratory one. It feeds on medium-sized birds or rodents. Settles on steep cliffs, trees, rocks. Most often they try to occupy the nests of other birds, and not build their own. Females are much larger than males. As a rule, the clutch consists of six eggs. Saker Falcon, as well as peregrine falcon or gyrfalcon, are the favorite helpers of bird hunters. It can be bought only at the zoo, you can’t catch it on your own, because the saker is listed in the Red Book.
