Do you know what natures top predator is?
Well, we have excluded us (humans) from this article as including us is just not fair on all the other animals.
Lions?
Well, no one is going to argue with one anytime soon and they have a great ability to predict preys movements in order to capture them. With their powerful jaws and claws they are a worthy match for most but unfortunately, they only have a 30% kill rate so in the scheme of this article they don’t cut it.
The Great White Shark?
This terrifying beast is what nightmares are made out of. Since the popularisation of Jaws in the 70’s almost everyone has found themselves in the ocean with that sinking feeling that a shark is behind them and who can blame them? Forever rotating razor razor-sharp, viewed from the top they are almost invisible in the water, massive powerful jaws and they can reach speeds of up to 40km p/hr whilst launching out of the water. Not to mention their massive size but alas they only have an average kill rate of 50%, so no it’s not them either
The Dragon Fly?
Hahaha, who included this in the list. Surly this beautiful insect that brings joy to children and adults around the world isn’t the best apex predator. Well with predictive skills for anticipating prey that is almost as good as a human being and sophisticated vision that contains 10,000 to 30,000 individual eyes it’s a good start. Those eyes are so good at what they do that its awesome vision chews up 80% of its brain capacity meaning it can lock on to a target with its 360 degree view like a heat seeking missile. But it doesn’t stop there, 60% of a dragonfly’s body consists of powerful muscles that cause it to have precision and speed during flight, they can even turn 180 degrees in mid-air with a turning circle no bigger than a 20c coin (or a dime for you yanks). With powerful front legs it can grab its prey mid-flight and devour it without landing. Don’t think their smart? Think again as Dragonfly’s tear off the wings of its victims to ensure no escape before smashing open insect heads with its toothy jaws. So how does it rank in killing accuracy? Only a whopping 97% kill rate making it nature’s true apex predator.
We are in awe of this amazing insect
Stay Curious – C.Costigan
