The Apex Predator List: Life at the Top of the Food Chain

Apex predators attract a special kind of fascination; also called "super predators," they sit at the top of the food chain, unquestionably the most dominant members of the animal kingdom.

But a closer look will reveal that not only are they impressive, they're also vital members of the ecosystems they inhabit. Here, we've compiled an apex predator list and explore what makes these creatures equally cool, imposing and essential.

10 Apex Predators

This isn't an exhaustive list, but it does give a good overview of apex predators of the land, sea and air, and describe their importance to their respective ecosystems.

1. African Lion

The lion (Panthera leo), sometimes known as the African lion (although they are also found in India), is a classic, widely recognized apex predator. Lions have been feared, revered and admired by human cultures since at least archaic times, testifying to their dominant status as apex predators.

While lions primarily feed on larger herbivores, they will also hunt and consume small mammals and prey that has been wounded by other predators.

2. African Wild Dog

The African wild dog, (Lycaon pictus) is a canine native to Sub-Saharan Africa. While it shares its environment and food sources with other top predators, they have no natural predators of their own.

These fierce and clever animals are pack hunters, bringing down their prey through persistence and exhaustion. Due to their range being decimated by human development, they are considered a threatened species.

3. Bald Eagle

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is an apex predator as well as a conservation success story. Found near large, open bodies of water throughout North America (they live in all 48 contiguous United States, as well as parts of Canada and Northern Mexico), it feeds mostly on fish but will also hunt other birds.

Known as the national symbol of the United States, the bald eagle population declined significantly in the mid-20th century, mostly from the effects of DDT, which accumulated in the waterways where the eagles hunted. Conservation measures brought this top predator back from the brink of extinction.

4. Gray Wolf

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a species of canine native to North America and Eurasia. Unlike some apex predators, wolves are pack animals, which means that their hunting behavior is cooperative.

At their position atop the food chain, they feed mostly on large prey, usually four-legged herbivores. Using their acute sense of smell to locate prey, they require a large range to thrive.

Despite a long tradition of being hunted by humans, wolves have been reintroduced to various habitats, and the beneficial effects of this measure have been widely documented. Groups such as Apex Protection Project are devoted to the preservation of these animals and other wild canines.

5. Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) is actually a subspecies of brown bear. Two other subspecies, the Kamchatka brown bear and the Kodiak bear, are slightly larger on average, but within its own habitat, the grizzly bear is dominating specimen.

These apex predators, while technically carnivorous, have an impressively varied diet featuring different foods based on their specific range and the season. They'll eat anything from moose to berries to carrion discarded by other predators.

6. Harpy Eagle

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a species of eagle endemic to South America. It's a truly impressive sight, large and with striking coloration: a gray and black top, with a white underside and mottled black-and-white feathers on its upper legs.

Harpy eagles have the largest talons of any raptor species, and they can kill and carry off creatures that are up to half their body weight [source: Raptors of the World].

While this majestic bird of prey was formerly found throughout Central and South America, hunting and habitat destruction has rendered them extremely rare in Central America, and conservation measures have been taken to protect them from further decline.

7. Killer Whale

A species of dolphin, the killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) will eat sea lions, other whales, dolphins and fish, among other prey species. These highly social and intelligent creatures are fearsome masters of the high seas, revered and even worshiped by some human cultures.

In fact, although great white sharks are sometimes erroneously considered to be an apex species, Orcas can be natural predators of them if given the chance. Killer whales are the larger species, and their ability to coordinate makes them unmatched in an aquatic tussle.

8. Polar Bear

With their impressive size and snow-white fur, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are iconic apex predators in their arctic environment. They mainly prey upon seals, but they are also known to eat other arctic animals such as smaller whale species, reindeer and even sea birds and invertebrates.

Polar bears are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Due to the effects of climate change — especially the disappearance of polar ice, which they use to hunt seals — they are in need of more intensive conservation efforts.

9. Saltwater Crocodile

The world's largest living reptile, the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is a classic example of an apex predator. These menacing reptiles are massive, with adult males weighing up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg).

In their natural habitat — which ranges from the eastern coast of India, through much of Southeast Asia and all the way to Australia — they prey on pretty much anything that gets too close, from sharks to birds to mammals.

10. Tiger

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is native to Asia, and its numerous subspecies (such as the Siberian tiger) are known for their apex predator status. Like other species of big cats, they prey mostly on large ungulates (hoofed mammals).

While they sometimes compete with other large predators in their ecosystems, they have no natural predators.

Like many big cats, tigers are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching by humans. They have been considered endangered since 1986, and populations are believed to have been declining steadily since then [source: IUCN Red List].

What Is an Apex Predator?

Put simply, apex predators are predatory organisms that have no natural predators of their own. This means that, while they eat other animals, no other animals eat them.

There might be occasional exceptions, and sometimes, the introduction of a new species can mess with the whole ecosystem, turning an apex predator into just another predator, with a new creature at the top of the local food web (also known as the local trophic dynamic).

But, in most cases, apex predators reign supreme; they're at the top, and they stay there.

Why Are Apex Predators Important?

Apex predators are critical members of their ecosystems. They are often also keystone species, which means that they have an outsized effect on their local ecology, effecting everything from the level of parasites and diseases to the growth of certain plants.

For instance, if a predator is reintroduced into an area where it had disappeared, it will immediately begin thinning the herds of the now-overpopulated prey populations (wolves and elk are a common example). This in turn can effect where the prey roams and congregates, which can cause changes in the kind of flora that grows in certain areas.

Apex predators influence the whole food chain, all the way down. In study after study, biologists have been able to trace with astonishing detail how apex predators preserve diversity, keep invasive species in check and help environments flourish.

Are Humans Apex Predators?

This is an ongoing debate in the science community. In some ways, and in some ecosystems, humans do seem to tick all the boxes of being apex predators: They hunt and kill and eat other animals, but no other animals kill and eat them.

Still, because of our diverse diets, it's hard to say we're quite the same as lions, for instance. With some rare exceptions, we don't eat only animals that prey on other animals, or that are next down the food chain from us. We eat plants too, which complicates our "trophic level," or position in the food web.

Original article: The Apex Predator List: Life at the Top of the Food Chain

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