This articlearticle or section has multiple issues:
	It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. Tagged since August 2007. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. Tagged since August 2006. It is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. may be able to help recruit one. It may need a complete rewrite to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.Tagged since January 2007.
	Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.

Apex predators (also alpha predators, superpredators, or top-level predators) are predators that, as adults, are not normally preyed upon in the wild in significant parts of their ranges. Some can be superpredators in some environments but not in others (e.g., domestic cats). Some species can be the end of long food chains, where they have a crucial role in maintaining and determining the health of ecosystems, although some predators may be the end of a food chain having only three stages (grass→deer→wolf), but this is the bare minimum for inclusion. Some, like big cats, bears, hyenas, crocodiles, wolves and large dogs, some sharks, the Komodo dragon, and the orca are potential man-eaters, although most of them will avoid humans. Even those not dangerous to humans (e.g., owls) are formidable predators in their respective niches. Image File history File links Gtk-dialog-info. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus Schreber, 1775 For alternative meanings see cat (disambiguation). ... Figure 1. ... Cut grass growing on in the Hudson River Park Tall grass growing wild at Lyme Park Grass covered house in Iceland. ... This article is about the ruminant animal. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... For people nicknamed The Big Cat, see The Big Cat. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Subfamilies and Genera Hyaenidae Crocuta Hyaena Parahyaena Protelinae Proteles Hyenas or Hyænas are moderately large terrestrial carnivores native to Africa, Arabia, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes † Symmoriida Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton [1] and a streamlined body. ... Binomial name Ouwens, 1912 Komodo dragon distribution The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo Monitor[1], Komodo Island Monitor[1], Ora (to the natives of Komodo[2]), or simply Komodo, is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2-3 metres (approximately... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ...

Ecological role

The range of different apex predators may cause some confusion, as some are much larger or differently adapted than others. A predator becomes an "apex predator" when the other species living alongside it cease to consider that animal as prey, or only attempt to attack it in the most dire of situations. For instance, although killer whales (orcas) occasionally attack and, even more rarely, feed upon great white sharks, both remain apex predators because such an occurrence is sufficiently rare for it to be considered a freak event. However, orcas frequently target leopard seals as prey, making seals a regular item on the menu, and thus not apex predators (even though orcas are their only consistent predator). Tigers/lions and crocodiles exemplify apex predators that occasionally interact violently with one another, but don't normally risk contact with prey that might kill or cripple them. Dogs might be vulnerable to larger and more powerful predators, but in many places they are the most powerful of all predators. For other uses, see Great White (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ...

Such an animal as a river dolphin or the Baikal seal, either of which would be ordinary prey for orcas in the open ocean, have no predators in their usual habitats. Venom is usually not adequate to make a superpredator; a rattlesnake is potential prey for eagles, hawks, cats, kingsnakes, and roadrunners; the box jellies and Portuguese Man o' War that could kill a human with their stings are prey for some sea turtles. Families See text River dolphins are four species of dolphin which reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. ... Binomial name Phoca sibirica Gmelin, 1788 The Nerpa or Baikal Seal (Phoca sibirica) is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal, a huge freshwater lake in Siberia near the border with Mongolia). ... Wasp sting, with droplet of venom Venom (literally, poison of animal origin) is any of a variety of toxins used by animals, for the purpose of defense and hunting. ... Species 27 species; see list of rattlesnake species and subspecies. ... Genera Several, see below. ... Genera Accipiter Micronisus Melierax Urotriorchis Erythrotriorchis The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the bird sub-family Accipitrinae in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... King snake redirects here. ... Species The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America. ... Orders see text Box jellyfish, also known as sea wasps, are jellyfish-like creatures found in Australia and the Philippines, which can be extremely deadly, with venom in their tentacles. ... This article is about the marine invertebrate. ... Genera Family Cheloniidae (Oppel, 1811) Caretta Chelonia Eretmochelys Lepidochelys Natator Family Dermochelyidae Dermochelys Family Protostegidae (extinct) Family Toxochelyidae (extinct) Family Thalassemyidae (extinct) Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are turtles found in all the worlds oceans except the Arctic Ocean, and some species travel between oceans. ...

The same weapons that make superpredators so formidable hunters (claws, talons, teeth, power, strength) typically make them superb defenders of themselves. Even so small a predator as the electric eel that uses electrical charge to kill small fish and crustaceans as prey can give an unpleasant shock to such an animal as a caiman, jaguar, cougar, dog, giant otter, anaconda, egret, or human, causing the misguided predator to seek something less troublesome. Binomial name Electrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766) The electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is a species of fish. ... Genera Alligator Caiman Melanosuchus Paleosuchus Alligators and caimans are reptiles closely related to the crocodiles and forming the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead as the subfamily Alligatorinae). ... For other uses, see Jaguar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cougar (disambiguation) or Puma (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Pteronura brasiliensis (Gmelin, 1788) The Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis, (also known as the river wolf) is the longest of the worlds otters, as well as one of the largest mustelids[2]. It is native to South America but is endangered and is also very rare in captivity. ... For other uses, see Anaconda (disambiguation). ... Genera Egretta Ardea An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. ...

Some ordinarily hunt singly (any cat other than the lion, sperm whale, alligator, reticulated python, snapping turtle, or any eagle); some are highly social in their hunting strategies (lions, wolves, dogs, dingos, African hunting dogs, dholes, orcas, harrier hawks, and the driver ants and fire ants that in some niches are top predators). Dogs and humans participate in some of the most efficient teams of predators. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Sperm Whale range (in blue) The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all toothed whales and is the largest toothed animal alive, measuring up to 18 metres (60 ft) long. ... For other uses, see Alligator (disambiguation). ... // Binomial name Python reticulatus Schneider, 1801 The Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus), with a maximum recorded length 33 feet [1], is the longest existing snake species. ... Binomial name Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758) Common Snapping Turtle head The Snapping TurtleMexico. ... Genera Several, see below. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus dingo (Meyer, 1793) Dingo range Breed standards (external link) ANKC The dingo (plural dingoes or dingos) or warrigal, Canis lupus dingo, is a type of wild dog, probably descended from the Indian Wolf (Canis Indica). ... Binomial name Lycaon pictus (Temminck, 1820) The African Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus), also called African Wild Dog, is a mammal of the Canidae family, and thus related to the domestic dog. ... Binomial name Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) The Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a species of wild dog of the Canidae family. ... Species 7 currently recognised: see text Forest falcons are members of the genus Micrastur, part of the family of the family Falconidae. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Dorylinae. ... Species More than 280 species and subspecies, see text For the species of fire ant common to the Southern U.S., see Red imported fire ant Fire ants, sometimes referred to as simply red ants, are stinging ants of which there are over 280 species worldwide. ...

In addition, the status of an apex predator depends only on its surroundings, not its universal hunting ability. All species are highly attuned to their environment, and apex predators only more so. Outside of their normal context such a predator could easily become prey to unfamiliar species, like putting a Komodo dragon in the grasslands alongside lions and hyenas. A sea star, cone shell, octopus, or a sea anemone that might have predators elsewhere might be the arch-predator of some small tide pool. Orders Forcipulatida Paxillosida Notomyotida Spinulosida Valvatida Velatida Brisingida Starfish redirects here. ... Genera Asprella Chelyconus Conus Floraconus Leptoconus The cone snails or cone shells (family Conidae) are marine snails found in coral reefs. ... For other uses, see Octopus (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text. ...

Humans can be viewed as the "ultimate" apex predator if one applies the food-chain definition, as humans have largely removed themselves from being preyed upon in the wild, and have used technology (especially firearms) and even other animals (dogs, horses, and elephants) to subdue, evade, and/or kill most of the wild animals that pose a threat to themselves. Certain regions of the world, mostly wilderness, are still dangerous to humans in this respect. Predators such as lions, leopards, Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles retain notoriety for being "man-eaters", as the humans they interact with possess negligible weapons in order to defend against attack. Still, by and far humans have surpassed the evolutionary limits of their bodies, resulting in safety from virtually all natural predators. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is an Old World mammal of the Felidae family and one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera, along with the tiger (), the lion () and the jaguar (). Once distributed across southern Eurasia and Africa from... Binomial name (Laurenti, 1768) The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is one of the 3 species of crocodiles found in Africa, and the second largest species of crocodile. ... Binomial name (Schneider, 1801) Range of the Saltwater Crocodile in black The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living reptiles. ...

External links

• "Man-eating lions not aberrant, experts say," National Geographic News, January 4, 2004
• "Making the Case for Man-Eaters," National Geographic Today, October 9, 2003
• "Native Carnivores in the Southern Rockies
• "Dogs and livestock do not always mix

The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Apex Predators