READ: Predator-Prey

Predation is when a predator kills and eats itsprey. Some predators of this type, such as jaguars, kill large prey. They tear it apart and chew it before eating it. Others, like bottlenose dolphins or snakes, may eat their prey whole. In some cases, the prey dies in the mouth or the digestive system of the predator. Baleen whales, for example, eat millions of plankton at once. The prey is digested afterward. Predators may hunt actively for prey, or they may sit and wait for prey to get within striking distance.

This example of a true predator shows a pair of lions actively hunting prey.