wieloryby-i-delfiny: Predation

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. The predator-prey relationship is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the host) and parasitoidism (which always does, eventually). It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as seed predators and destructive frugivores are predators. Predation behaviour varies significantly depending on the organism. Many predators, especially carnivores, have evolved distinct hunting strategies. Pursuit predation involves the active search for an…

Evidence: 59 • authority: 72

Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous species of bird that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates, mainly mammals, reptiles, and smaller birds. In addition to speed and strength, these predators have keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing flesh. Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species—such as fish eagles, vultures, and condors—also scavenge and eat carrion. Although the term "bird of prey" could theoretically be taken to include all birds that actively hunt and eat other animals, ornithologists typ…

Evidence: 49 • authority: 92

Killing behaviors in rodents: from predation to infanticide.. Killing is the most extreme behavior that an animal can perform toward another. Rodents are one of the best examples of evolutionary adaptation, being the mammals with the highest number of species and having developed an impressive variety of forms and behaviors, which allow them to live and thrive in the most disparate habitats across all continents except for Antarctica. Moreover, rodents are the most widely employed animal model in biological research. An appropriate knowledge of the ethology of rodents is of particular importance both for basic science and for the employment of these animals as animal models. Since they are…