Top 10 Fearless Hunters: Predators Versus Deadly Prey

It is very easy for modern folks. Few meat eaters will ever have to hunt their own food, let alone risk major discomfort or even death for it. Many animal species do not have this luxury. Food implies a tough battle with animals that can bite, sting, or poison them. It's unclear why they seek such difficult prey, but many have developed intricate and spectacular means of disarming their victims' defenses. Here are 10 fearless (or insane) predators who hunt dangerous and venomous animals.

10. Bee Eaters

With their deadly sting and proclivity to swarm, bees appear to have no natural predators. Even without the agony of getting stung, they don't appear too appetising. Not to humans, at any rate. Bees have many natural predators, yet they are so important to one bird species' diet that the birds are known as "bee-eaters."

There are 22 different types of bee-eaters, and they dwell in a variety of habitats, including rainforests and deserts. They are usually colourful and have long black beaks that they use to pull bees out of the air in mid-flight. They obviously do not want to be stung by the bee. To avoid this, they ingeniously stun the captured bee by hitting its head against a tree, then flipping it over and rubbing its tail up and down the branch until the stinger and venom sac are removed. The bee is swallowed whole now that it is safe to consume. Bee-eaters have a crucial function in keeping insect populations in balance, which may sound harsh.

9. Sharks

The deadly fish's proclivity to eat practically anything living is widely known, but one feast is certain to improve sharks' terrible reputations: pufferfish. Pufferfish are small, slow swimmers who are prey to predators. Nonetheless, they have one of nature's strongest defense mechanisms.

They may inflate themselves into a spiky sphere of death several times their normal size by fast consuming water and air. They are covered with sharp spines that protrude when they inflate and contain tetrodotoxin, one of nature's most lethal toxins. Tetrodotoxin levels in pufferfish are high enough to kill 30 adult people. Why would anyone want to eat something so lethal? Few predators do, or at least those who do survive. Sharks, on the other hand, are remarkably resistant to tetrodotoxin. They are, in fact, the only species known to be so. So pufferfish are just another form of meal on the shark's menu.

8. Lizards

These little lizards can be seen climbing on walls or hiding in dark places all over the world in warm regions. They may frighten some individuals, but they are not easily classified as fearsome predators in most people's thoughts. Their diet consists primarily of flies and other small insects, however in Australia, they occasionally consume funnel-web spiders. Funnel web spiders are the most dangerous spiders. Delta-hexatoxin abounds in mature male funnel webs. This neurotoxic causes nerves to fire continually, resulting in spasms, blood pressure decreases, organ failure, and death. It is deadly to humans.

This protects the male funnel webs from predators who may unintentionally walk into one's path while hunting for a mate. Surprisingly, funnel webs are preyed upon by a wide range of predators in the wild, including reptiles such as geckos, marsupials such as dunnarts, rats, and certain birds. A study on Sydney funnel-web spiders was cut short in 2020 when one of the participants was swallowed by a gecko while having a tracking device on its back.

7. Orangutans

These amusing red-haired primates have a dark side. While an orangutan's typical diet includes fruit, leaves, bark, and insects, scientists discovered a troubling new item on the menu in 2012. The slow loris is a unique primate that is much smaller than an orangutan and has huge eyes and a fuzzy body. While they are cute to humans, they appear to some Sumatran and Bornean orangutans to be an excellent protein-packed food. The only issue is that slow lorises are poisonous.

They are, in fact, the only venomous mammals, and their bites are thought to rot flesh. It's unclear why orangutans would prefer to consume these deceptively cute critters. Meat, according to some scientists, is a fallback food for orangutans when the basics of their diet become rare.

However, when orangutans have been observed consuming slow lorises, a paucity of plant foods has not always been noted. It's possible that scientists simply don't have much proof of it happening because they haven't looked for it specifically. Concerning the poison, the orangutans' superior size appears to allow them to easily control the small critters and avoid being bitten.

6. Chacma Baboons:

Baboons, like orangutans, eat primarily plants. Southern African Chacma baboons eat mostly fruit, bulbs, and roots, but they also enjoy some animal items such as bird eggs, spiders, centipedes, and lizards. Scorpions are another favourite food of baboons.

These scurrying, stinging arachnids are a tempting dinner for the primates, who hover their palms over the scorpions until the opportunity to stun them occurs. The baboons then rub the scorpion around the ground with their palm before plucking out the stinger and tossing it far away. The scorpion is then ready to be eaten.

In 1919, one witness observed baboons munching scorpions with "every appearance of satisfaction." Given that they toss away the stinger, it appears that baboons are not harmed if stung. However, the same author noted that while plundering bee nests, baboons do not appear to feel as much pain from stings as humans do, even though they strive not to be stung.

5. Centipede Eaters

Centipedes exist in a range of sizes, but they are typically frightening, swift, and capable of biting. These characteristics may not make them appealing, but they are the sole food supply for a type of South African snake known as the black-headed centipede-eater. These pencil-thin snakes, sometimes known as the Cape centipede-eater, are harmless to humans, but their venom is fatal to centipedes.

They will bite and inject their venom into the spine of a centipede, then wait for it to take effect before devouring the deceased animal head first. They are entirely nocturnal and are frequently found in abandoned termite mounds or under items like rocks and logs.

4. Tiger Keelback Snakes

Tiger keelback snakes are not venomous while they are young. They will be this way for the rest of their lives unless they change their nutrition. These Japanese snakes are highly unique for the species. Wild snakes, on the other hand, are known to defend themselves against predators by secreting bufadienolides from glands at the back of their neck. These are poisons that have an effect on the heart and lungs.

Because the snakes are not born with a source of bufadienolides and cannot make them, they must obtain them through a surprisingly widespread practise in nature: poison theft. Tiger keelback snakes eat toxic toads and steal the poison for their own consumption. They even boost its potency. Mothers can transmit the poison on to their offspring, who can then hunt toads to perpetuate the cycle.

3. Mongooses

Despite its name and deadly nature, the king cobra is not at the top of its food chain. The mongoose is a small, aggressive hunter that preys on cobras and other snake species. Unlike humans, mongooses can survive cobra venom because of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that neutralises the effect of poisons by preventing them from adhering to the nervous system. This means that mongooses can kill and devour cobras and other snakes. A mongoose's diet consists primarily of snakes.

However, the animosity is mutual, as there are snake species that eat mongoose as well. Mongooses use their deadly claws, superb eyesight, speed, and agility to hunt and defend themselves. They are so effective that they can kill larger snakes, and humans utilise them to control snake and rat populations in various regions across the world.

2. Leatherback Turtles

Leatherback turtles may be the most ferocious predators on the planet in terms of the sheer number of victims devoured. The enormous sea monsters may weigh up to 1,415 pounds (640 kilogrammes) and devour up to 73% of their body weight on a daily basis. They have a 100% success rate, which is significantly better than that of more well-known hunters like lions and sharks, yet the food they eat has only 5 kcal per person. So, what do they eat?

Their prey must be plentiful, fast, and defenseless. No, not exactly. Leatherback turtles consume jellyfish, which are both slow and plentiful. However, many unlucky swimmers have discovered that jellyfish are not defenceless and have a nasty—and occasionally lethal—sting. Sea turtles, on the other hand, are immune to jellyfish stings due to their reptile scales. And leatherbacks are uniquely equipped for jellyfish hunting, with scissor-like jaws that capture the critters and terrible spikes called papillae that line their throat and guarantee their target is effectively broken down and cannot escape.

1. Orcas

Orcas are deserving of the moniker "killer" whales. They are predators of a range of sea animals, but one dietary staple for particular orca populations necessitates a dangerous encounter before they can consume. The stingray's tail includes a barb that could badly hurt an unwary or untrained orca. While this appears to be a danger worth taking only if the orca is famished, they have also been witnessed ganging up on and murdering stingrays for no apparent reason.

They may have been aware that humans were watching them, which is why they did not eat the ray. They, like many other predators, may kill for fun or practise. Divers speculated that during one observation in which a band of young orcas killed a ray, the orcas may have been showing off or putting on a show to appear intimidating.