Hunters use many strategies to catch their prey. Some use stealth – they sneak up silently until they are close enough to make a sudden dash. Others construct traps, or simply lie in wait until the prey comes within striking distance. Most hunters are bigger than their prey, but some – such as army ants and wolves – hunt in groups and can kill animals much larger than themselves.
Working as a team enables hunters to catch their prey more easily. By hunting together, lions can herd zebras across open grassland and drive them into traps. A typical hunt starts when a group of female lions begins to move toward their prey, leaving the rest of the pride behind. Moving stealthily through the grass, the lions spread out to circle the prey without being seen. When the attack begins, some lions keep still, ready to burst out of hiding as the animals flee past.
Some animals lie quiet and still until their prey comes close and then snatch the victim with a sudden, accurate movement. Frogs use this strategy to catch insects. They have sharp eyesight and are good at spotting small, fast-moving objects, such as flies. When a fly is near, a frog will watch it patiently until it comes into range. Then, in a split second, it leaps toward the fly and catches it on the sticky tip of its tongue.
Active hunters need special weapons to attack and kill their prey with the minimum effort. The most important of these weapons are long, pointed teeth, called canines, that hunting mammals, such as cats and dogs, use to grip their prey. Most cats also have sharp front claws. These are normally retracted inside their paws, but when a cat attacks, the claws extend and can be used with deadly effect.
Some hunters have special skills for tackling dangerous prey. Bee-eating birds, for example, knock bees against the branch of a tree to remove their stings. The African secretarybird can kill a venomous snake with a single, powerful stamp. It aims just behind the snake’s head to smash its spine. Although best known for hunting snakes, secretarybirds eat mainly insects, small mammals, lizards, and birds. All but the largest items are swallowed whole.
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