apex predator
an animal that has no natural enemies
TRANSLATION
apex predator = Spitzenräuber, Spitzenprädator apex predator = ein ausgewachsenes Raubtier, das keine natürliche Feinde hat --- GOOGLE INDEX apex predator: approximately 500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The archipelago also harbors some of the highest densities in the world of so-called APEX PREDATORS , the sharks, groupers and jacks who have no natural predators of their own but whose numbers have been depleted elsewhere by fishermen.
(New York Times)
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The great white shark, an APEX PREDATOR, is protected under Australian law.
(BBC News)
(New York Times)
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The great white shark, an APEX PREDATOR, is protected under Australian law.
(BBC News)
Did you
know?
apex predator
noun phrase
- a predator at the top of a food chain that is not preyed upon by any other animal
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
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Did You Know
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The term apex predator stems from the Latin apex (top, summit) and Latin praedator (plunderer). Apex predators are basically at the top of a food chain and have no natural enemies in their habitat.
Apex predators play a key role in maintaining balanced ecological systems. Although humans sometimes tend to think of apex predators such as the great white shark as dangerous, the fact is they are an essential part of nature.
After the reintroduction of the gray wolf in 1995 in Yellowstone National Park in the US for instance, researchers noticed drastic changes occurring in the ecosystem.
Elk, the primary prey of the gray wolf, became less abundant and changed their behaviour. This in turn freed the zones around river banks from constant grazing, thus allowing willows, aspens, and cottonwoods to grow, creating habitats for beaver, moose, and scores of other species.
(partially adapted from Wikipedia)
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SYNONYMS
alpha predator, super predator, top predator, top-level predator
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Are humans the ultimate apex predators?"
---
Thanks to Ron for suggesting today's word!
noun phrase
- a predator at the top of a food chain that is not preyed upon by any other animal
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
Did You Know
---
The term apex predator stems from the Latin apex (top, summit) and Latin praedator (plunderer). Apex predators are basically at the top of a food chain and have no natural enemies in their habitat.
Apex predators play a key role in maintaining balanced ecological systems. Although humans sometimes tend to think of apex predators such as the great white shark as dangerous, the fact is they are an essential part of nature.
After the reintroduction of the gray wolf in 1995 in Yellowstone National Park in the US for instance, researchers noticed drastic changes occurring in the ecosystem.
Elk, the primary prey of the gray wolf, became less abundant and changed their behaviour. This in turn freed the zones around river banks from constant grazing, thus allowing willows, aspens, and cottonwoods to grow, creating habitats for beaver, moose, and scores of other species.
(partially adapted from Wikipedia)
---
SYNONYMS
alpha predator, super predator, top predator, top-level predator
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Are humans the ultimate apex predators?"
---
Thanks to Ron for suggesting today's word!
