natural predator
Born to hunt
A natural predator is an animal that hunts and kills another species as part of the normal ecological order—wolves are natural predators of deer, cats of mice.
The phrase often appears in discussions of pest control or invasive species: The python has no natural predators in Florida.
It implies a balance disrupted when predators are absent.
- preyAnimal being hunted
- hunterPursuer of prey
- pack hunterCarnivore coordinating group kills
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- apexUppermost point or culmination
wolf · lion · big cat · hawk · bird of prey · stalking · food chain · food web · ecosystem · survival · instinct · teeth · claws · hunt · kill · kill or be killed · balance · control
natural, nature, naturally, naturalness, naturalize, naturalization, naturalized, unnatural, supernatural