Can any animals eat porcupines? Surely not as porcupine quills present an impenetrable thicket to most predators. But these backward-pointing defences are only effective if the rodent can keep its assailant to its rear. What animals can eat porcupines? In North America, pumas and fishers (marten-like mammals) are skilled porcupine predators, outmanoeuvring their quarry to launch their attacks from the […]
Tag: predators
Kākāpō rising: 90 chicks swell population of the world’s heaviest parrot
The population of the world’s heaviest parrot, the kākāpō, has surpassed 300 birds for the first time in 75 years, after a record breeding season triggered by the mass fruiting of a native New Zealand tree. Ninety chicks were officially added to the population of the critically endangered birds on 1 September, pushing the total to […]
It is the largest, most formidable, cat in the Americas and one of the world’s most powerful predators, able to bite straight through the skull of its prey
In our expert jaguar guide learn all about these spectacular bigs cats, including how to identify each species, their diet and best places to see them in their natural habitat, plus conservation work. How many different species of jaguar are there? Found in the Americas, the jaguar is an endangered species with ongoing conservation work […]
First Nations in Canada call for emergency order to protect southern mountain caribou
“Under our Syilx Okanagan law, everything is sacred to us. We believe that Mother Earth is alive, all of kʷuləncutn, the creator’s creation, that it’s all alive,” Chief Dan Wilson of the Okanagan Indian Band, a Syilx Okanagan Nation, told Mongabay in a phone call. “That’s why the caribou are so important to us … […]
“It can fit in the palm of your hand, could kill you in minutes with a venom a thousand times stronger than cyanide – and there’s no antidote”
These cute cephalopods that fit in the palm of your hand could kill you in minutes with a venom a thousand times stronger than cyanide, says Melissa Hobson. What are blue-ringed octopuses? Blue-ringed octopus are a genus of octopus known for their iridescent blue markings. These iconic patterns only reveal themselves when the little octopus – which are smaller than a […]
Cougars cut deadly vehicle-deer collisions in the US by up to 76%, study shows
If you’re a black-tailed deer on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington, you’re always surrounded by friends and family. You are free-range, with abundant food to forage in familiar woods and meadows. But you’re also vigilant because you’re a prey species and your ideal habitat is also home to your top predators: […]
Experts looked inside Cape Town’s largest predator. What they found has them worried
Most of Cape Town’s caracals have rat poison in their bodies. The discovery, reported in Environmental Pollution, raises concerns about the hidden effects of rodent control on wildlife, and calls for tighter regulation of these chemicals. Caracals are wild cats native to Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia, instantly recognisable by their long, tufted ears. The […]
“Torpedo-shaped bodies, pointed snout and a jutting lower jaw packed with fearsome, sharp teeth – it has been known to attack swimmers…”
These fierce-looking, torpedo-shaped fish can be found in warm and tropical waters all round the world. Each of the 20 or so different species of barracuda are intimidating ocean predators, but it’s the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) that strikes fear into the hearts of prey fish big and small. What do barracuda look like? One of the deadliest fish in the […]