How predators kill their prey is a fascinating subject. Big cats typically either asphyxiate by pressing down on an animal’s trachea with paws and mouth, though lions will also stop its prey from breathing by covering its mouth and nose with their jaws. Jaguars deliver the coup de grace with a bite to the skull. […]
Tag: killer whales
“Once they’ve caught their prey it may be shaken violently to ‘deglove’ and they then tear the carcass into pieces small enough to swallow”
With a huge reptile-like head, powerful jaws and a sleek, muscular body, the leopard seal is one of Antarctica’s most formidable apex predators. The third-largest seal species ranking behind elephant seals and walruses, these solitary hunters are capable of tackling penguins and even other seals and can swim at speeds of up to 25mph. What do leopard […]
It’s as long as a Ford Transit van – and has an elongated, odd-looking torpedo-shaped beak, perfect for grabbing slippery prey…
One of the most interesting traits of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is their colour – or variations that differ between populations, age groups and individuals – from grey to white, even pink. Some look mottled or albino. Their shallow, coastal and estuarine (often murky water) habitat means they have adapted in some fascinating ways. Learn all […]
It’s as big as a Ford transit van, can reach speeds of 50kph and can detect blood from a gobsmacking 3 miles away…
The great white shark is the only extant species in the genus Carcharodon and the largest predatory fish in the world. Why are they called great white sharks? Great white sharks belong to the family Lamnidae, which also includes porbeagle sharks, salmon sharks and mako sharks, which are the fastest shark in the ocean. A type of mackerel […]
9 animals that could take on (and probably kill) a saltwater crocodile: Just which creatures are able to take on one of the world’s deadliest animals?
The saltwater crocodile, also known as the estuarine crocodile or saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles. Males can exceed 6m in length and a tonne in weight and are widely touted as producing the strongest bite-force of any animal. Like other crocodilians, they dismantle their prey using a manoeuvre called the ‘death roll’, which […]
Snow shoes, ‘anti-freeze’ blood and group hugs: How 10 snow animals outsmart winter
During the winter, as the cold nights draw in, many people like to curl up by the fire with a soft blanket and a hot drink to warm their cockles. But wild animals don’t have the luxury of warm houses and thermal clothing to protect them when the thermostat plummets. So, how do the animals […]
Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal declared Endangered
Emperor penguins and Antarctic fur seals are both now categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List previously categorised Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) as Near Threatened but satellite images suggest that around 10 per cent of the population (more than 20,000 adults) was lost between 2009 and 2018. The population is expected […]
“They bore the marks of an attack, including rib fractures, internal haemorrhages and specific teeth marks.” 5 animals that kill excessively – seemingly just for fun
At 10am on 27 June 2018, researchers studying dolphins in a Belize mangrove, witnessed a gruesome spectacle. First, a group of four bottlenose dolphins separated a baby manatee from his mother. Then, one of them attacked the calf, biting it over and over again, and ramming it out of the water. The youngster later died […]