Here are animals with preys you would've never
expected! 9 - Otter Marathon
The one thing that is clear is that the animal kingdom is no place for the weak. So naturally, we would think that an otter
would have no chance against something as powerful as a alligator. However, that’s exactly what otters can
do, no matter how cute they look! Otters are known for their aggressive attacking
style. They’re actually known to be close to being
apex predators in most places they live. In the Florida swamps, Otters have to share
their space with alligators. So, otters in Florida have developed successful
hunting techniques that should make even the largest alligator tremble. Otters have studied alligator behavior and
have realized that they can be subdued by going for the neck. The armor on an alligator’s back is made
to deflect bites from other alligators, so it's very tough. So the otter doesn’t win from biting the
alligator. How the otter actual wins is from exhaustion. For the alligator that is. The alligator has explosive energy that just
doesn't last long, kinda like a sprinter in a marathon. So the otter’s tactic is to wear the alligator
out, which only takes a few minutes of thrashing and rolling around. The alligator’s muscles get filled with
lactic acid they literally just can’t move anymore. At that point the otter can then get the alligator
up on shore. The gator actually passes from lactic acid
buildup, and NOT from being eaten! Our advice for alligators? Put in the cardio! 8 - 100% Rate? Predators have interesting ways of approaching
their potential prey, and this particular case is very interesting to say the least. It seems that when it comes to size, we tend
to believe the smaller the prey, the easier it will be for a predator to eat it. But, when it comes to the larvae of the Epomis
ground beetle, this logic DEFINITELY ISN’T applied. Surprisingly, this beetle larvae is able to
slowly, but surely, consume 100% of the amphibians it encounters! Well….supposedly anyways. While toads, frogs, and salamanders are known
for being very sneaky and fast, the these beetle larvae are even faster! Scientists have done extensive research and
realized that this type of larvae feeds exclusively on amphibians and does so in the most wicked,
but amazing way. When a toad finds itself in front of one of
these larvae, the larvae will do a dance. It’ll do the dance to actually GET the attention
of the toad. The toad will of course, immediately attempt
to use its tongue to try to get the larvae in their mouths and swallow it. However, the larvae is so fast, it’ll just
duck out of the way and latch on to the toad’s back. However, even if the toad DOES get it in their
mouth, they’re unable to swallow the larvae. So they spit it out immediately. Once that happens…...it’s all over. The larva sticks itself somewhere on the toad's
skin and slowly starts to uh……...suck it dry. The toad is then drain to its bones, leaving
behind some sort of amphibian mummy. Amazingly, no amphibian has been ever found
to be able to survive the larva's attack! 7 - Eyes bigger than stomach
Having a big jaw certainly comes handy when in the wild. But having a bigger stomach? That’s even better, and the black swallower
knows all about it! Living at depths up to an astounding 10,000
feet underwater, the black swallower has marveled scientists and oceanographers with its strange
showmanship! It's able to inflate itself to the point where
it can eat fish at over 10 times its size! Well, technically ten times its mass. How many animals can claim to do that? Although a jaw-dropping show in itself, what
really made researchers try to keep their eyes on the gulper eel was its ability to
expand its stomach. In fact, the black swallower is known to have
eyes bigger than its stomach. Back in 2007, one black swallower was found
floating off of the coast of the Cayman Islands. This guy had swallowed a 34-inch mackerel,
which was so big for the black swallower, that it couldn't digest it in time before
it began to decompose in the its gut! The gasses produced during the decomposition
caused the black swallower's gut to burst, and that’s how fisherman were able to find
the fish. Scientists theorize that the black swallower
grabs prey by the tail, and then sort of "walks" its jaws over the prey until it’s in its
belly! 6 - Grabber not hugger
What’s worse than a giant snake? If you said a giant centipede, go ahead and
pat yourself on the back, because you’re absolutely right! In the deep tropical rainforests of Thailand
researchers at Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve observed an overgrown centipede devouring
a snake. This particular snake was laying its eggs
around the area when the centipede made it its prey. It wasn’t able to escape the claw-like legs
the centipede had used to force itself onto it. Scientists have studied this kind of behavior
before. This centipede is part of the Scolopendrid
genus, an aggressive species that’s bigger and badder than its relatives. What's even more fascinating is that this
type of centipede has been seen eating small rats, lizards and even birds! the size of
its preys seems remarkably large, but again, it isn’t just any kind of centipede. It has the ability to inject potent venom
into its victim's body by using its front claws. In this particular case, the centipede had
the snake completely surrendered, forcibly hugging its entire body to the point where
it wasn’t able to escape. Grabbing a female snake while it’s laying
eggs is probably one of the easiest ways to make sure it won't fight back, since it's
one of its most vulnerable moments. Really, the thought of centipedes grabbing
on to anything is something that makes us squirm in bed! 5 - Cute and furry Here’s another case of not judging a predator
by its size. Up in the freezing forests of Maine, an unexpected
battlefield has been created: the lynx versus the fisher Although at a first glance we may
think it’s virtually impossible for a small weasel-like animal like a fisher to be able
to fight against a dominating lynx, research says otherwise. Plus, they do look really cute don’t they? During winter season, lynx are known to wait
out snowstorms before they resume their normal hunting activities. What lynx don't know is that this is precisely
the worst time to stay in the same place! You might be asking how exactly an animal
like a fisher, as big as the average house cat, is able to go after a 30-pound lynx? Well, it seems that what it lacks in size,
it doubles in agility. Researchers placed monitoring devices on various
lynx in the Maine area forest. They discovered that fishers actually track
the lynx during snowstorms. It seems that fishers are aggressive attackers,
and they tackle the unsuspecting lynx by going straight for their neck! It really doesn’t take long for the fisher
to finish its job, although lynx do try to fight back of course. Researchers have found fisher hair stuck in
the mouth of lynx, so there’s obviously some effort on the lynx’s part to defend
itself. But researchers are unsure whether lynx ever
beat the fishers in these battles, or whether or not they sometimes prey on fishers themselves,
like bobcats do! 4 - Gone dinner gone Speaking of cute, stoats and weasels are deceiving
little creatures. With their furry bodies and adorable smiles,
they fool a lot of people into thinking they're actually tame and lovable. This couldn't be further than truth. In fact, stoats are so aggressive and burn
so much fat on a daily basis, they’re known to eat double their body weight almost everyday! Their hunting methods are truly remarkable. A stoat will approach a group of birds or
rabbits and then jump around, pretending to ignore the animals. Of course, when something as cute as a stoat
is dancing around, who wouldn’t be attracted! When the animals get closer to watch this
odd performance to get a better look, that’s when the stoat suddenly pounces on the nearest
member of the audience! Their techniques are so aggressive that not
even animals twice its size can escape. Wildlife photographer Robin Morrison captured
the struggle between a stoat and a rabbit twice its size. Morrison watched them battle for over 20 minutes
until the rabbit finally surrendered. Just when the stoat thought it was dinner
time, it heard some rumbling around and decided to hide. To the stoat's surprise, a wild fox appeared
grabbed the rabbit. Unfortunately for the stoat, all that energy
expended meant that it had twice as much work ahead! 3 - Golden eagle VS mountain goat Animals are hungry, and they’ll do whatever
it takes for their next meal, no matter what PETA thinks! And no matter what they say about Steve Irwin! Seriously, does anyone really like PETA?! Anyways, what's really shocking here is the
ability some animals have to get a big meal. We’re talking about the golden eagle. This predator is always on the prowl; it flies
over mountain areas in search of its next meal. However, did you guys know that a golden eagle
can take out a mountain goat?! So how exactly does it do it? Mountain goats are large and are usually found
um….....yeah, in the mountains. You may think that being settled in a mountain,
mountain goats would be relatively safe. Well, not when the attack is from above! Golden eagles are so strong, they’re able
to grab large mountain goats with their talons and throw them off the side of a mountain! They’ll eat almost anything, as over 400
different animals have been recorded as prey. Most of the time Golden Eagles will go for
smaller prey since it’s much easier, but if the opportunity presents itself, they’ll
go after anything they think they can get! 2 - Mouse eating machine When we think of frogs, there’s a wide range
of emotion. There’s that whole Prince Charming thing
coming from kissing a frog. Then there’s there are other people who
just don’t like frogs because they seem slimy. However who thinks of a frog as a great predator?! In this case, we're talking about the African
Bullfrog. The African bullfrog is a great predator. Much bigger in size than their frog cousins,
they don't just feed on mosquitoes or other small insects that happen to be around their
habitat. They hunt down and eat anything that steps
in front of them. ANYTHING. And this includes giant mice! These aggressive amphibians, who inhabit the
tropical surroundings of central and southern Africa, became notorious for their carnivorous
cravings and the way they go about hunting their prey. The lounge around without moving, until something
starts lurking around them. And by that time, the fate of their prey is
pretty much already determined. The bullfrog can jump more than 10 feet to
grab its victim for an afternoon snack! Funny enough, in certain parts of Africa they’re
kept as pets and have been given the adorable nickname of 'pixie frogs', based on their
latin name Pyxicephalus adspersus. 1 - Catfish eating pigeons The animal kingdom has proved to be a place
where the impossible seems to happen on a daily basis. Predators are all around and just about any
animal can have a bad day. But catfish eating pigeons?! We all know that pigeons can be a little annoying,
mainly because of how they just seem to poop everywhere they can, especially on a cleanly
washed car for some reason. However, catfish somehow someway, are doing
dirty work on pigeons for all the clean car enthusiasts out there! On an episode of the widely popular BBC series
'Planet Earth', David Attenborough narrated a story of a group of pigeons that were calmly
bathing in a river. Apparently, pigeons have lost their fear of
humans, allowing them to travel basically anywhere, including this river. And it’s their lack of fear that’s exactly
making them into the perfect catch. As they were stationed on the riverbank, a
giant catfish pops from underwater and grabs one of them by its wing. The strong pull, added by the intense grip
of the catfish's jaw, made sure that that pigeon was on the menu that day! Here's what's next!
