World's Deadliest Predators?

When you think of the world’s most fearsome predators, what animals come to mind? Maybe lions, tigers, or great white sharks? These animals are fierce hunters, but they aren’t the deadliest to the animals around them. In fact, lions catch their prey only about a quarter of the time! A dragonfly, on the other hand, rarely misses an insect it chases after. This high kill rate makes dragonflies one of the most efficient hunters on Earth.

What do you think are the world’s most ferocious predators? Maybe lions, tigers, or great white sharks? These animals are fierce hunters, but they aren’t the deadliest to other animals. In fact, lions catch their prey only about a quarter of the time! But a dragonfly rarely misses an insect it chases after. This makes dragonflies one of the most efficient hunters on Earth.

How successful a predator needs to be depends on its metabolism, or how fast its body turns food into energy, says Amy Davis. She’s an animal keeper at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. She works with predators of all sizes, from jaguars to poison dart frogs. A big cat like a jaguar can live for several days off a single kill, says Davis. But a frog that eats tiny insects has to keep catching them constantly to survive. In other words, says Davis, “if you’re not good at what you do, you die.”

Read on to meet some lesser-known predators with deadly success rates. Some of them might surprise you!

Some predators can get away with being less successful. It depends on their metabolism, or how fast their bodies turn food into energy, says Amy Davis. She’s an animal keeper at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. She works with predators of all sizes, from jaguars to poison dart frogs. A big cat like a jaguar can live for several days off a single kill, says Davis. But a frog that eats tiny insects is different. It has to keep catching food constantly to survive. In other words, says Davis, “if you’re not good at what you do, you die.”

Read on to meet some predators with deadly success rates. Some of them might surprise you!

Most predators prefer to hunt alone, so they don’t have to share anything they catch. But for African wild dogs, which live in packs of up to 50 animals, hunting together can be useful. It helps them take down prey bigger than they are, such as impalas and wildebeest.  

Instead of sneaking up on a herd of prey, wild dogs usually rush straight at it. If the prey are startled, one of the animals might separate from the herd. When that happens, a group of dogs peels off and chases after it. The dogs can hit speeds up to 40 miles per hour. When they catch the animal, they work together to wrestle it to the ground. A large enough pack of dogs can take down a wildebeest that weighs more than 500 pounds!

Most predators prefer to hunt alone. That way they don’t have to share anything they catch. But for African wild dogs, hunting together can be useful. They live in packs of up to 50 animals. Working together helps them take down prey bigger than they are, such as impalas and wildebeest. 

Wild dogs don’t sneak up on a herd of prey. Instead, they usually rush straight at it. This startles the prey animals. One might separate from the herd. When that happens, a group of dogs chases after it. The dogs can hit speeds up to 40 miles per hour. When they catch the animal, they work together to wrestle it to the ground. A large enough pack of dogs can kill a wildebeest that weighs more than 500 pounds!

On Jekyll Island in Georgia, a creature lurks in the bushes. Its ears perk up when it hears something skitter nearby. It stalks its prey quietly to avoid giving away its presence. Then it pounces, sinking its sharp teeth and claws into its meal.

This fierce predator is a stray house cat. Kerrie Anne Loyd, a wildlife biologist at Arizona State University, helped study a colony of strays on Jekyll Island in 2015. The researchers placed cameras on the cats to monitor their behavior. They tallied how many animals the cats stalked and killed.

Even though a human caretaker fed them, the cats went hunting.
In addition to birds and rodents, the cats chased insects, spiders, lizards, and frogs. “One cat killed 35 amphibians,” says Loyd. She thinks the safest thing for all wildlife is for all cats to live inside homes.

On Jekyll Island in Georgia, a creature lurks in the bushes. Its ears perk up when it hears something moving nearby. It stalks its prey quietly to avoid being noticed. Then it pounces, sinking its sharp teeth and claws into its meal.

This fierce predator is a stray house cat. Kerrie Anne Loyd is a wildlife biologist at Arizona State University. She helped study a group of stray cats on Jekyll Island in 2015. The scientists placed cameras on the cats to monitor their behavior. They counted how many animals the cats stalked and killed.

A human caretaker fed the stray cats. But the animals still hunted quite a bit. The cats chased birds, rodents, insects, spiders, lizards, and frogs. “There was one cat that killed 35 amphibians,” says Loyd. She thinks the safest thing for all wildlife is for all cats to live indoors.    

Next time you’re near a lake or pond, keep your eyes peeled. You might spot one of the world’s fiercest predators—but it’s only a few inches long. Like tiny fighter pilots, dragonflies hunt down other flying insects with deadly efficiency. Most of their prey don’t even see them coming, says Stacey Combes.

Combes studies insects at the University of California, Davis. In one experiment, she released fruit flies near where dragonflies were perching, then filmed the dragonflies in slow-motion to analyze how they hunt. The predators swooped in from behind and below the fruit flies to take the prey by surprise, she says.

Only a few fruit flies escaped the dragonflies’ clutches—usually because they happened to change direction at just the right moment, says Combes. The dragonflies spun right back around to attack again. “You can put yourself in the mind of the prey, and it’s kind of terrifying,” says Combes.

Next time you’re near a lake or pond, look around you. You might spot one of the world’s fiercest predators. It’s only a few inches long! Dragonflies are like tiny fighter pilots. They hunt other flying insects with deadly efficiency. Most of their prey don’t even see them coming, says Stacey Combes.

Combes studies insects at the University of California, Davis. In one experiment, she released fruit flies near where dragonflies were perching. Then she filmed the dragonflies in slow-motion. This allowed her to analyze how they hunt. The predators swooped in from behind and below the fruit flies, Combes found. This took the prey completely by surprise.

Only a few fruit flies escaped the dragonflies. It was usually because the fruit flies happened to change direction at just the right moment, says Combes. But the dragonflies turned back around to attack again. “You can put yourself in the mind of the prey, and it’s kind of terrifying,” says Combes.

An unusual predator lives in the waters of Southeast Asia. The archerfish hunts insects and spiders above the water’s surface by shooting a jet of water from its mouth. When its aim is just right, it knocks the prey into the water, then swims over and gobbles up its prize.

But there’s a downside to this hunting method. If there are other fish are nearby, they might steal the prey that the archerfish knocks down. That’s why archerfish have another strategy for when other fish are near: They hurl themselves out of the water and grab the prey in their mouths. This leap can take more energy than spitting—but it’s worth it to make sure they get the snack!

An unusual predator lives in the waters of Southeast Asia. The archerfish hunts by shooting a jet of water from its mouth. It tries to hit insects and spiders above the water’s surface. If it aims just right, it knocks the prey into the water. Then it swims over and gobbles up its prize.

But sometimes this hunting method isn’t the best idea. If other fish are nearby, they might steal the prey that the archerfish knocks down. That’s why archerfish have another strategy for when other fish are near. Instead of spitting, they jump out of the water. They grab the prey in their mouths. This leap can take more energy than spitting. But it’s worth it to make sure they get the snack!