Predator Strategies
Predator Strategies: Kill It
Predators must be efficient in finding, engaging with, and killing prey to conserve energy and avoid injury.
Predator's Tier of Choice
Scavenge:
The most energy-efficient method. If a predator finds a dead animal, it will eat it to gain energy without expending any.
The energy expended versus energy gained ratio is very high in this case.
Steal:
If a predator can steal food from another animal, particularly a smaller one, it will do so.
Lions are described as the biggest thieves of the Savannah, often stealing kills from hyenas, despite the hyenas doing more hunting.
Cheetahs drag their kills up into trees to prevent lions from stealing them.
Hunt:
Predators will hunt if scavenging or stealing isn't possible.
There are ways to make hunting more efficient, such as hunting in groups.
Patterns of Prey Acquisition
Lurk and Wait:
A low-energy hunting strategy where the predator waits in a specific location for prey to come within reach.
Human hunters using blinds or tree stands are examples of lurk and wait predators.
Success is not guaranteed as it depends on prey coming into the predator's vicinity.
Stalk and Pounce:
The predator hunts in a low-energy manner, wandering and looking for prey.
When prey is spotted, the predator slowly creeps up on it to avoid detection.
At the last moment, the predator exerts a burst of energy in a pounce maneuver.
Example: Cats playing with toys.
Short Pursuits:
Similar to stalk and pounce, but involves a chase.
The predator stalks the prey to get close and then runs after it.
Cheetahs use this method, relying on their speed over a short distance to catch prey.
This requires a limited time frame due to the energy expenditure.
Long Pursuits:
The predator chases the prey until it is exhausted.
Requires cooperation and packs, as maintaining a constant pursuit is difficult alone.
The predators chase and harass the prey until it dies from exhaustion.
Engaging with Prey
The predator must engage and kill the prey quickly.
Methods of attack include biting with the mouth or grasping with the forelimbs.
Killing is done as quickly as possible through:
Bites to the front of the face.
Bites to the throat to crush the windpipe.
Suffocation maneuvers rather than cutting the throat to bleed out the prey.
Anatomical Features and Predatory Behavior
Predators have specific anatomical features suited for their hunting strategies.
Stereo vision is common in predators to enhance their sensory system.
Examples include:
T-Rex: Uses its mouth for biting and tearing flesh.
Praying Mantises: Use scissor-fold mechanism in their arms to grab prey and bite the head off.
Cats: Use front claws to engage prey, classic stalk and pounce predators.
Cheetahs: Stalk and short pursuit, biting the front of the head to suffocate prey.
Lions: Use force multipliers by hunting in groups, clutching with claws and biting.
Dogs: Use long pursuit predation, pack hunting, nipping at the heels of the prey.
Orcas: Hunt in packs, even preying on whales and great white sharks.
Force Multipliers
Packs enable predators to do more.
Lions, wolves, African wild dogs, and hyenas are pack hunters.
Pack hunting is rare in reptiles and birds, except for Harris Hawks (hunt with family members).
Solitary hunters: Most cats, wolverines, and praying mantises.
Pair-based hunting: Coyotes (mated pairs or siblings).
Situational cooperation: Cheetahs (hunting with related cheetahs), sharks, crocodilians, lizards (melee-style situational cooperation).
Dinosaur Predatory Strategies
Dinosaurs can be categorized by their predatory strategies and anatomical features.
Weak Arms and Skulls:
Neodynosaurs, xerophytes, hervarasaurs, coelophysis, dilophosaurids.
Suggests they were not involved much in larger prey.
Short Skulls with Reinforced Necks:
Ceratosaurs and tyrannosaurs.
Non-functional arms, so they attacked with their jaws.
Narrow Skulls with Muscularized Arms:
Carnosaurs and spinosaurs.
Used arms for clutching and holding onto prey.
Narrow Skulls with Long Specialized Arms:
Raptor dinosaurs and Ornithelesces.
Employed arms for grasping prey.
Tyrannosaurs
Maybe were long pursuit specialist dinosaurs
Developed are artometatarsus that strengthened and lengthened the ankle which could have been very helpful in running
Carnosaurs
Developed muscularized arms and biomechanical arms suited for clutching prey
Flight and Predation
Small carnivores face challenges of catching prey while avoiding being preyed upon.
Dinonychosauria:
Diagnosable by retractable second pedal digit with a killer claw.
Feathers all the way down to their feet.
Troodontidae
Lots of small teeth and relatively lightly skulls.
Troodon actually means pretty tooth based off the patterns of serrations on them.
Very small and avian
Include mae and cynovinator.
Dromaeosauridae
Diagnosed with very long elongated zygopophysis stiffening their tail.
Have tails with feathers to allow for an animal to curve and turn its legs
Tails could been curved and snapped back straight which would lead to a really nice dynamic out of your tail.
Velociraptorines and the Drematosaurines
-Velociraptorines include Saagang, Linnaraptor, Sauronos Aleskes, Deinonychus, Valar, and Dine Bellator
* Double killer claw found in Balar dinosaur fossils
* Mark Narell found this dinosaur from the Paleontology in American Museum of Natural History
-Tromaeosaurines includes Tromatosaurus from Canada, Apatosaurus from Mongolia, and Utahraptor that would be the largest of the raptor dinosaurs by size.
Predators must efficiently find, engage with, and kill prey to conserve energy and avoid injury. Scavenging is the most energy-efficient method, where a predator eats a dead animal to gain energy without expending much. Stealing involves a predator taking food from another animal, often a smaller one; lions are known for stealing kills from hyenas. Hunting occurs when scavenging or stealing isn't possible, and can be made more efficient by hunting in groups.
Different patterns of prey acquisition include lurking and waiting, where the predator waits in a specific location for prey to come within reach. Stalking and pouncing involves a low-energy hunt where the predator creeps up on prey before exerting a burst of energy. Short pursuits are similar, but involve a chase over a limited time frame, like cheetahs using their speed. Long pursuits involve the predator chasing the prey until it is exhausted, often requiring cooperation in packs.
Engaging with prey requires a quick kill. Methods include biting or grasping, with killing done rapidly through bites to the face or throat, or suffocation maneuvers. Predators have specific anatomical features suited for their hunting strategies, such as stereo vision. Examples include the T-Rex using its mouth for biting, praying mantises using their arms to grab and bite, cats using claws, cheetahs biting to suffocate, lions using group force, dogs using long pursuit, and orcas hunting in packs.
Force multipliers such as packs enable predators to do more. Pack hunters include lions, wolves, African wild dogs, and hyenas; pack hunting is rare in reptiles and birds, except for Harris Hawks. Solitary hunters include most cats, wolverines, and praying mantises. Coyotes hunt in pairs, while cheetahs, sharks, crocodilians, and lizards show situational cooperation.
Dinosaurs can be categorized by their predatory strategies and anatomical features. Some had weak arms and skulls, suggesting they didn't engage in larger prey. Others had short skulls with reinforced necks, attacking with their jaws. Some had narrow skulls with muscularized arms, used for clutching, while others had long specialized arms for grasping. Tyrannosaurs may have been long pursuit specialists with strengthened ankles. Carnosaurs developed muscularized arms for clutching prey.
Small carnivores face challenges of catching prey while avoiding predation. Dinonychosauria are diagnosable by a retractable claw and feathers down to their feet. Troodontidae have small teeth and lightly skulls. Dromaeosauridae have stiffened tails with feathers for turning. Velociraptorines include Saagang, Linnaraptor, Sauronos Aleskes, Deinonychus, Valar, and Dine Bell