The food chain in nature is led by predators. Carnivorous hunters of the fauna world are diverse in habits, habitat, appearance and biological characteristics.
Some of them also eat plant foods. But the ideal killers, capable of not only quickly catching prey, but also exterminating competitors, are the most predatory animals of the planet. Their menu includes only one dish - the meat of the killed victims.
Fifth place - the wolf
The insidious predator of the canine family got its name from the Slavic word "vlak". It translates as "drag, drag." The sizes of these bloodthirsty inhabitants of the forests of Eurasia and North America vary from habitat. So, the smallest member of the genus is the Arabian wolf. Its height at the withers does not exceed 66 cm. The inhabitants of the European part of the continent are familiar with the gray wolf, whose growth reaches 85 cm, weight - 90 kg.
Wolves are social monogamous mammals that live in packs. Each group numbers 10–40 individuals and has its own territory — a plot of land with an area of 50 to 1,500 km2. The "team" is led by two leaders - a seasoned alpha male and his girlfriend - the dominant female. Gray hunters are patterns of devotion. They create family unions for many years, loyal to the partner.
The life of wolves takes place in a constant movement and active pursuit of victims. In search of prey, the flock overcomes 25–80 km per day. In hunting, mammals are helped by a wonderful sense of smell, hearing and 42 strong teeth. The most deadly of these are 5-centimeter curved fangs that can crush the tibia of an elk. During the attack, predators are silent and swift - attacking animals reach speeds of up to 64 km / h. Read our article: Why wolves howl at the moon.
Fourth Place - Leopard
The most unpredictable and aggressive representative of the subfamily of big cats is the leopard. With a height at the withers of 45–78 cm and a weight of up to 75 kg, this hunter with red spotted hair and a long tail is inferior in size to his relatives - the tiger and the lion. However, strong jaws and bite force with a capacity of 100–125 atmospheres put the leopard on a par with the most predatory animals on the planet. Leopard is one of the largest cats in the world - more in our article.
A graceful dangerous cat lives in the mountainous, forest-steppe and forest regions of Africa, East Asia, the Far and Middle East. Leopard is an ideal hunter of the fauna world, whose mastery is honed to the smallest detail. The beast goes fishing at night and watches the prey for hours, burying itself in thickets or crowns of trees. Finding the victim, he overtakes her with a giant leap.
The strong neck of the animal allows you to drag prey twice the body weight of the hunter himself. Even with a dead antelope weighing 80 kg in its teeth, the leopard develops a speed of up to 57 km / h and makes three-meter high jumps. The predator always pulls his trophy onto a tree for a subsequent meal.
Third place - Komodo lizard
On the islands of Indonesia, Gili Motang, Komodo, Flores and Rincha live the largest lizard on the planet - the Komodo (Komodo) monitor lizard. Its gigantic strong body reaches 3 m in length and weighs 35–70 kg. A reptile with the same appetite eats insects, fish, and mammals - rodents, deer, and wild pigs. The seeming slowness of the monitor is deceiving - the attacking animal develops a speed of up to 20 km / h and unbalances the prey by striking a powerful tail. The strategy of the hunter is to knock the trophy to the ground and tear it with conical shaped teeth with serrated edges. Thanks to the expanding stomach at one gluttony gluttony reptile eats up to 60 kg of meat.
Gigantic lizards are the highest predators that are potentially dangerous to humans.A hungry beast is able to attack an adult, especially if it has an open wound or a scratch on its body. Lizard smells blood at a distance of 9 km. Natives call aggressive reptiles "last dragons."
The bites of gigantic creatures are toxic and cause a sharp drop in blood pressure, muscle paralysis and loss of consciousness. This is due to the presence of poisonous glands located in the lower jaw of the animal. Without medical assistance, an attack by a Komodo monster can be fatal.
Second place - bull shark
Among the inhabitants of the water element, the most bloodthirsty predator is a bull shark. This name was given to dangerous fish for a reason: swimming in fresh water, it approaches the shore and hunts bulls who came to the watering place. For a large head and a flattened snout, this shark is also called a blunt snout. An unpleasant date with a sharp-toothed killer can occur in all oceans (except for the Arctic). In the United States, bull sharks have been reported in Lake Michigan and the New Jersey and Illinois rivers.
Protecting their possessions, a huge fish attacks any moving object, taking even boat propellers as border violators. Ichthyologists explain the incredible aggressiveness of blunt sharks by the production of a large amount of the hormone testosterone.
The sea monster victim has no chance of survival. In pursuit of prey, 3.5-meter giants weighing 300-350 kg accelerate to 40 km / h. The scenario is always the same: the hunter inflicts a powerful blow to the head and completes the job with serrated teeth growing in several rows. Swimming in shallow water, bull sharks cause the death of careless bathers. According to statistics, 26 people died from the teeth of the ocean aggressor.
The most predatory animal in the world
The most predatory animal in the world - wolverine. A muscular squat torso with a height of 40–45 cm and a weight of 10–30 kg, thick short legs with wide feet, thick brown fur and a round head characterize a wolverine that looks like a huge badger. This inhabitant of the forests of northern Eurasia and North America belongs to the family of martens. Ferocity, strength, lack of fear and excessive appetite make the beast the most predatory animal, able to defeat even an elk or a bear.
The Sami living in Northern Europe call the wolverine a "forest demon." She is distinguished by cruelty, courage and endurance. According to the research of zoologists, a mammal is able to reach a speed of 50 km / h and, without stopping to rest, overcome 70–85 km per day.
The beast has almost no natural enemies. Even lynxes and lone wolves do not dare to approach these giant martens, whose ductal glands secrete a disgustingly smelling secret. Disproportionately huge teeth and jaw compression force of 900 kg, allow the predator to attack more massive rivals. There is documented evidence of a wolverine attack on a polar bear.
A wolf, a leopard, a Komodo lizard, a bull shark and a Wolverine inspire an irresistible fear on the representatives of the fauna world. But neither sharp teeth, nor fast legs, nor lightning-fast reactions can protect these creatures from the destructive activities of humans: uncontrolled hunting, artificial changes in the landscape, and soil clogging with industrial waste. Today, most of the most predatory animals are endangered and listed in the Red Book.
