Apex predator
Apex predators (sometimes called Man-Eaters, Alpha-Predators, or Super-Predators) are predators that are not themselves preyed upon as a species. These animals are often at the end of long food chains, where they have a crucial role in maintaining and determining the health of ecosystems.
Apex predators hold a special place in human hearts; they have come to represent aspects of nature that humans find pride in. Indeed, humans are apex predators themselves, and so the common evolutionary heritage we share with apex predators has not gone unrecognized.
The taxonomy of common apex predators:
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Chondrichthyes
- Order Lamniformes: Sharks
- Class Reptilia
- Order Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
- Family Boidae: Pythons and Boas
- Order Crocodilia: Crocodiles and Alligators
- Order Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
- Class Aves
- Order Falconiformes: Birds of Prey
- Order Strigiformes: Owls
- Class Mammalia
- Class Chondrichthyes
- Phylum Chordata