Predation

Predation is an ecological interaction in which one organism, the predator, feeds on another, the prey, typically causing the prey’s death. It is distinct from herbivory, which involves plant consumption; from scavenging, which uses dead animals; and from parasitism, where a parasite lives on or inside a host for an extended period without immediate consumption of the host.

Predators vary widely in size, hunting strategy, and diet. Some pursue prey over long distances, others ambush or lie in wait. Diets range from specialists that focus on a few prey species to generalists that exploit many. Predation can involve animals hunting other animals, or in some cases invertebrates or microorganisms feeding on prey.

Prey have a suite of defenses, such as speed, camouflage, armor, chemical toxins, schooling or flocking, alarm signals, and mimicry. Predators counter with keen senses, stealth, speed, cooperative hunting, specialized morphology, and, in some cases, venom or traps. The interaction drives ecological and evolutionary dynamics, including coevolution between predator and prey.

Ecologically, predation helps regulate prey populations, influences community structure, and can trigger trophic cascades that affect vegetation and other trophic levels. Functional responses describe how a predator’s consumption rate changes with prey density, contributing to patterns such as stable equilibria or oscillations in predator–prey populations.

Examples include wolves hunting ungulates, big cats preying on various mammals, birds of prey catching small vertebrates and invertebrates, and apex predators shaping entire ecosystems. Human activities, such as hunting, fishing, and habitat modification, can profoundly alter predator–prey interactions and ecosystem balance.