HUNTERS AND KILLERS

 There I sat wondering about animals that killed other animals for food.  Look that one up on the Internet and you get various lists based on number of kills, kills per attempt or most successful, most lethal, etc.  

As far as success rates go, the African Wild Dog is #1.  They get what they want almost every time.  Part of their success lies in the fact that they work together in packs.  #2 on that list is the African Black Footed Cat, sometimes called the spotted cat.  Not only vicious but voracious - they make over 10 kills a night.  #3 is the Cheetah.  Too fast not to be near the top of the list.  

Based on ferocity, the Great White Shark might be #1 on the list.  It is a killing machine.  Very much larger and faster than the sea creatures on which it feeds.  #2 on this list would be Tigers and Lions.  Most of their prey are defenseless to their power.  #3 would be the Grizzly Bear. So big and can run 40 mph.

Some others give me the chills.  How about the Black Mamba snake, the Komodo dragon, Crocodiles, Piranha and Tarantula?   What do you think about raptors like the Falcon and Eagle?

What is your guess about whether, in the animal kingdom, animals kill others of their own species?  They do.  Would you guess the human animal would be high on this list?  It is not.  Many animals kill their own species at a much higher rate than humans.

Now for my choice as the BEST killer animal of all.  It is, drum roll, the domestic cat. Consider that a single rat can cause 2,000 offspring per year and a single rabbit can cause 1,000 offspring per year.  Where would we be without that disinterested feline sitting in the sun on your window sill - and it's feral brothers?  That's right, we'd be overrun with rats and rabbits.  I'm not a "cat lover" but you have to admit they are very important to our way of life.  Sssssss.