Not every hunt is a high-speed chase - some animals rely on trickery, weaponize the environment, or even manipulate the reflexes of their prey to obtain dinner. Check out...
1. Golden Eagle Goat-Hurling
Many birds of prey will consume carrion from large animals, but one bird isn't content to wait for a goat to die. The golden eagle has a flair for the dramatic,
ambushing climbing goats and dragging the animals over the edge. The hapless herbivores splatter onto the rocks below as an all-you-can-eat banquet for the hungry predator - and they make quite the meal, as the goats can reach 10 times the size of a golden eagle.
2. The Humpback Bubble Net
Most whales feed on creatures far smaller than themselves, such as small fish, krill and plankton. The humpback whale has developed a
particularly efficient feeding technique. It swims in a rising spiral underneath a shoal of fish or cloud of krill and releases a stream of air bubbles, trapping the imminent lunch inside a column of water surrounded by air. Finally, the whale lunges through the trapped animals, capturing them inside a gaping maw.
3. Fish Playing Possum
Scavenging carrion from the streambed is a time honored tradition amongst fish... but it can be dangerous, as
certain fish can trick unwary scavengers into becoming a meal.
Some cichlids stop moving and sink to the bottom of shallow water. There they wait, until a smaller opportunistic fish comes along and tries to take a nibble. At that point the cichlids leap into action, snapping up the would be scavenger. Of course this is a risky hunting technique - the fins of the cichlid can be gnawed on by a fast fish!
A
comb grouper fish has also been observed using itself as a lure by pretending to be dead or dying, but it's unknown if other comb groupers use this tactic.
4. Bait-Using Green Heron
Wading birds typically hunt shallow waters, hoping that a fish will swim their way and end up being lunch. The
green heron is a bit more proactive. By baiting the water with
a bit of bread or a small fish, the heron lures larger, juicier fish within beak range - the technique resembles that of a human fisherman!
5. Dolphin Mud Fences
Dolphins are known for their human-like intelligence, performing tricks for entertainment and in some cases "huffing" toxic fish for a chemical high. Bottlenose dolphins in Florida will sometimes
swim in a circle in shallow water, kicking up thick clouds of mud to pen fish in. When a fish eventually leaps the mud "fence" the dolphin will
snatch it out of the air!
6. The Monkey-Calling Cat
Monkeys are typically social animals, looking out for each other and providing strength in numbers - but one cunning predator has learned how to turn this
unity into a weakness. Tree ocelots have learned to
mimic the call of a baby tamarin monkey - this attracts the attention of an adult, who goes to investigate. Unfortunately for the good Samaritan, the "distressed baby tamarin" is a fair-sized feline ambush predator...
7. Orca Tsunamis
Orcas (also known as killer whales - even though they are dolphins) are quite happy to hunt in packs, teaming up to run prey to exhaustion. In a more cunning maneuver, packs of these mammalian predators
swim close to floating ice to create waves. The swells of water can crack floating ice into smaller sections... leaving prey vulnerable to being knocked into the water by further waves.
Orcas seem to have a sadistic streak as well - there have been reports of them "toying" with food for hours before finally killing it!
Even great white sharks give orcas a wide berth - since these deadly dolphins have been known to mutilate the so-called apex predator of the seas.
8. Bolas-Slinging Spiders
Specializing in hunting moths, these small arachnids emit pheromones that mimic those of a female moth, drawing in would be suitors. They then
swing lines of weighted silk, knocking the insects out of the air and leaving them vulnerable to a bite. Because spiders that specialize in ranged attacks are what the world needs right now.
9. The Spitting Fish
Most fish limit themselves to the food that can be found floating in their habitat, but the
archer fish has a different meal-plan. By
spitting an accurate stream of water, this fish can knock insects off low hanging branches and leaves, stunning them and leaving them defenseless on the water's surface. The fish can get seven shots out of mouthful of water - and it only has to get lucky once!
10. The Mind-Controlling Tentacled Water Snake
Fish are faced with a lot of predators - but they do have a defensive tool, the
c-start reflex. When threatened, a fish may curve into a c shape, hurling itself out of the path of an attacker faster than thought. The response is the result of the Mauthner cells, a pair of giant neurons in the fish hindbrain.
Enter the
tentacled water snake, an ambush predator that can be found curled into a j-shape in shallow, murky waters. It's the kind of thing that the c-start should defend against... but the snake has turned it into a deadly mistake. When a fish
swims into the "bay" created by the body of the snake, the reptile shakes its tail. This startles the fish and causes a c-start... that often flings it straight into the snakes striking jaws.
