Category Zoology

The leopard seal is named after its black and grey spotted coat. It is also known as sea leopard. Its resemblance with leopards, however does not stop with the appearance. Like leopards, sea leopards too are fierce hunters.

Leopard seals are the most formidable hunters of all the seals. They are the only seals that feed on warm-blooded prey. They have powerful jaws and sharp teeth with which they devour their prey including small fish, squid and other seals. Leopard seals occupy Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, which give them an opportunity to prey on penguins as well.

The way a leopard seal hunts penguins is interesting. At first, it surveys the entire edges of the ice while remaining submerged. It then waits for the birds to enter the ocean and catches them while they are swimming. It grabs the penguin by its feet and shakes it vigorously until the bird is dead, a cruel death for the penguin indeed.

Bull sharks head-butt their prey before attacking it. They got their name from this tendency. Bull sharks are found in coastal waters all over the world. Unlike many other sharks, bull sharks can survive in fresh water for a surprisingly long time. Occasionally they even migrate to inland lakes.

Bull sharks hunt both during the day and at night. They are fast and agile and they eat anything that comes their way. The list of their prey includes large fish, dolphins and even other sharks.

Bull sharks prefer to occupy shallow coastal waters where they can come in contact with humans. Though humans are not on their menu, they are known to attack humans time and again. This might be out of curiosity. The number of bull sharks is steadily declining as they are hunted heavily for meat, hide and oil.

The tiger shark has a reputation of being a man-eater. It is large, voracious and is only second to the great white shark in attacking people. Also, it is an established scavenger.

The tiger shark has a blunt nose, a long, pointed upper tail lobe and large, saw-edged teeth that are deeply notched along one side. This solitary shark is a nocturnal hunter. It has a sharp sense of sight and smell that aid in hunting. A tiger shark feasts on fish, other sharks, sea turtles, molluscs, seabirds, carrion, and garbage. It is known to swallow coal, tin cans, bones, and clothing. Though considered an apex species, it is sometimes preyed on by killer whales.

The tiger shark gets its name from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern. But these stripes fade as the shark matures. Populations of tiger shark are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around the Central Pacific islands.

The great white shark is always viewed with fear. It is the largest predatory fish in the world. It is known to be an aggressive predator.

It preys on huge marine mammals including large seals, dolphins and even large baleen whales. It sometimes feeds on dead whales too. It is interesting to note that a great white shark does not chew its food though it has 300 teeth.

Great white sharks have white underbellies and slate-grey upper bodies that blend in with the rocky coastal sea floor. With their muscular bodies they can chase down some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean. They even have organs that can sense the tiny electromagnetic fields generated by animals. While feeding, they rip their prey into mouth-sized pieces which are swallowed later.

It is not easy to keep great white sharks in captivity; they need to travel long distances for seasonal migration and have an extremely demanding diet which make it difficult for them to survive in captivity. Great white sharks are not preyed on, except by killer whales on rare occasions.

It is not difficult to spot an orca. It has a very distinctive black body with a few white patches. Also known as the killer whale, the orca belongs to the family of oceanic whales. It is one of the prominent predators of the ocean.

A family of orcas might include up to 40 individuals and they hunt together. They use cooperative hunting techniques that are similar to the behaviour of wolf packs to an extent. They use a variety of sounds for communication; each group has its own distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance.

Orcas have a diverse diet; they feast on fish, penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales. They also eat seabirds and squids. Their teeth are four inches long and help them with catching prey.

Orcas can be found in each of the world’s oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas, absent only from the Baltic and Black seas.

Picture Credit : Google

Also known as gator or common alligator, the American alligator is a large crocodilian reptile endemic to the South-eastern United States. It is built for an aquatic life and can get really clumsy on land. It has webbed feet that aids in swimming. In addition to that, it has a strong tail that propels the gator in water.

The American alligator feeds mainly on fish, turtles, snakes, and small mammals. It is an apex species and plays an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of its habitat. Apart from hunting in water, it can also hunt on land at night.

While hunting a terrestrial prey, American alligators ambush them from the edge of the water. They grab the prey and pull it into the water, like many other crocodile species. They are also known to lure birds, mostly by balancing sticks and branches on their heads. Poor birds looking for nesting material fall in this trap. American alligators are one of the few animals that use tools to lure their prey.

Picture Credit : Google