Super Predators?

[Anonymous]

True that Kyle. I do believe in what you say Mallon, but if someone was to ask you who is the most dominant visible predator in the savannah of Africa, you would say Lion. If they said to you, who is the most dominant predator in the polar regions, you would clearly state the Polar Bear. <br /><br />I'm sure parasites do eat and possibly will kill there host, but they aren't so dominant as to be killing hosts all over the place. Predators like the Lion,Tiger, and Polar Bear do reign over there domain as the top predators(excluding humans). Also on the predators taking down 10% of there quarry, honestly, I don't really like % especially when it comes to hunting or scavenging.<br /><br />For if your the dominant predator, hunting or scavenging is an advantage to your survival, so being the Best Predator is knowing how to stay alive in any means possible, not just hunting alone. <br /><br />I do say that you are right in what you state, but look at the animal kingdom, you can see dominancy in the predators and prey.

[Mallon]

[quote author=KyleRipman link=board=19;threadid=384;start=0#7707 date=1039661233]<br />While that's true about parasites, we also don't know what kind/how deadly they were at that time.<br /><hr></blockquote><br /><br />Why would we have any reason to believe they were any different? In fact, we could use that very same argument and turn it around to say &quot;we don't know how deadly the likes of _T. rex_ was at the time.&quot;

[Mallon]

I'm having a hard time grasping your point, DinoSol, I'll roll with it...<br /><br />

<br />True that Kyle. I do believe in what you say Mallon, but if someone was to ask you who is the most dominant visible predator in the savannah of Africa, you would say Lion.<hr></blockquote><br /><br />I would say the hyena, I think. It's been shown recently to have a higher success rate when hunting than lions. In fact, lions are known to scavenge from hyenas most of the time.<br /><br />

I'm sure parasites do eat and possibly will kill there host, but they aren't so dominant as to be killing hosts all over the place.

<br /><br />Depends on where you go. But then again, is there one predator that you know of that kills prey &quot;all over the place&quot;?<br /><br />

Also on the predators taking down 10% of there quarry, honestly, I don't really like % especially when it comes to hunting or scavenging.

<br /><br />Why don't you like the 10% number? It's an oft-quoted figure. It doesn't refer to supplemental scavenging, of course.<br /><br />

I do say that you are right in what you state, but look at the animal kingdom, you can see dominancy in the predators and prey.<br />

<br /><br />Oh, I'm not denying that there is certainly a hierarchy in the animal kingdom. I'm just pointing out that the food chain isn't linear like everyone might be led to believe. As such, to say that there is a &quot;super predator&quot; who eats anything and everything in its way whilst being immune to predation itself is misleading. Even its young would likely be fed upon by other local carnivores.<br />Besides, as someone pointed out, &quot;super predator&quot; isn't even a term used by ecologists. They made the word up to sound &quot;cool&quot; and &quot;scientific&quot; for JP3.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I'm not denying that there is certainly a hierarchy in the animal kingdom. I'm just pointing out that the food chain isn't linear like everyone might be led to believe. As such, to say that there is a &quot;super predator&quot; who eats anything and everything in its way whilst being immune to predation itself is misleading. Even its young would likely be fed upon by other local carnivores.<br />Besides, as someone pointed out, &quot;super predator&quot; isn't even a term used by ecologists. They made the word up to sound &quot;cool&quot; and &quot;scientific&quot; for JP3. <br />Posted by: Mallon <br /><br />I would say the hyena, I think. It's been shown recently to have a higher success rate when hunting than lions. In fact, lions are known to scavenge from hyenas most of the time.-Mallon.<br /><br />That clerifys what I state even more. Being the more dominant predator means you can clearly scavenge as well as hunt. Just because you have a higher success of hunting means very little if you can get chased off by a larger predator, so Lions are the more dominant species out there, because they can steal as well as hunt.<br /><br />Depends on where you go. But then again, is there one predator that you know of that kills prey &quot;all over the place&quot;?-Mallon.<br /><br />No there isn't a predator that goes all over the place to kill(Like how Spino was poorly showed as a Dino-Terminator with no animalistic feelings but just a sheer I will KILL ALL in its head, which to me is a poor idea). Every predator has its advantage and disadvantages.<br /><br />Why don't you like the 10% number? It's an oft-quoted figure. It doesn't refer to supplemental scavenging, of course.-Mallon.<br /><br />I really don't like %ratings for hunting. It just bothers me alot thats all..kinda reminds me when people say T-Rex scavenged 50% while hunting 50%...just doesn't sound right. I just say that if they can hunt, they can hunt, who said hunting would always come back with game.<br /><br />You are correct on this. I don't like the whole &quot;SuperPredator&quot; gig thing either, my motto is predator and prey, eat or be eaten. I know the whole &quot;Super Predator&quot; thing from JP3, and ever since then, Super Predator has popped up quite a bit. Even though a Lion is the prominent dominant predator in its territory, it itself is not invincible.<br />

[Raptor86]

&quot;Super Predator&quot; doesn't mean it's invicible.<br />Super means &quot;upon, over (i don't know the excact english word)&quot; from Latin. Not like SuperMan. <br />The fact is that i found this word in a biology book.... :- ( i posted the pic, months ago)

[Mallon]

[quote author=Raptor86 link=board=19;threadid=384;start=0#7770 date=1039712516]<br />The fact is that i found this word in a biology book.... :- ( i posted the pic, months ago)<br /><hr></blockquote><br /><br />So what's the book's definition of a &quot;super predator&quot;?

[KyleRipman]

While that's all true, I think we're all aware that all the animals in an environment affect each other in different ways.

[Raptor86]

[quote author=Mallon link=board=19;threadid=384;start=15#7774 date=1039718533]<br />[quote author=Raptor86 link=board=19;threadid=384;start=0#7770 date=1039712516]<br />The fact is that i found this word in a biology book.... :- ( i posted the pic, months ago)<br /><hr></blockquote><br /><br />So what's the book's definition of a &quot;super predator&quot;?<br /><hr></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Traslating from Italian:&quot; From the observation of the current animals' natural relations beetwen herbivores and carnivores, you can recontruct an energetic pyramid, in the top of which there are the superpredators, and in the base the vegetable biomass (It: biomassa). <br /><br /><br />here you are the pic<br />

[Anonymous]

Wait though Raptor86. In the animal kingdom, there is only Predator and Prey. There is NO SuperPredator, predator, and then prey. For if there was a TERM SuperPredator, wouldnt they of ousted the &quot;predators&quot; to extinction if they are as Super as they are.<br /><br />The Lion would be the top predator in its domain, but it is not a SuperPredator, a Lion can get its food stolen from a hyena, a Lion is the dominant predator, but it can't clearly hunt a full grown elephant, besides predators hunt the weak and the young to leave the strong to go. SuperPredator is like you can hunt anything even the strongest of prey when you want and you will kill off all other competetion...this makes you almost invincible, but in reality, there is no such predator, alive or extinct.<br /><br />I really doubt a Giganotosaurus would like to try and take on a full grown Argentinosaurus thats in its prime and is not sick nor injured, it just ain't going to happen. In the world of nature, every animal has there own advantage, and to give a Predator &quot;SUPER&quot; thing, I don't think its going to keep the balance.<br /><br />Scientist don't use the term SuperPredator, I only hear predator and prey. There is only eat or be eaten. When was this article that you stated published, for I've seen this article before, is it just recently?<br /><br />

[Raptor86]

[quote author=Raptor86 link=board=19;threadid=384;start=0#7770 date=1039712516]<br />&quot;Super Predator&quot; doesn't mean it's invicible.<br />Super means &quot;upon, over (i don't know the excact english word)&quot; from Latin. Not like SuperMan. <br />The fact is that i found this word in a biology book.... :- ( i posted the pic, months ago)<br /><hr></blockquote><br /><br /><br />&lt;super predator doesn't mean he can hunt what it want!( i said it before)