Predator that sits and waits for prey to come to it
A camouflaged female goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) ambushing the female of a pair of mating flies
Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey using sheer speed or endurance, ambush predators avoid fatigue by staying in concealment, waiting patiently for the prey to get near, before launching a sudden overwhelming attack that quickly incapacitates and captures the prey.
The ambush is often opportunistic, and may be set by hiding in a burrow, by camouflage, by aggressive mimicry, or by the use of a trap (e.g. a web). The predator then uses a combination of senses to detect and assess the prey, and to time the strike. Nocturnal ambush predators such as cats and snakes have vertical slit pupils helping them to judge the distance to prey in dim light. Different ambush predators use a variety of means to capture their prey, from the long sticky tongues of chameleons to the expanding mouths of frogfishes.
Ambush predation is widely distributed in the animal kingdom, spanning some members of numerous groups such as the starfish, cephalopods, crustaceans, spiders, insects such as mantises, and vertebrates such as many snakes and fishes.
Ambushpredators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies...
often concealed. When prey is detected, the predator assesses whether to attack it. This may involve ambush or pursuit predation, sometimes after stalking...
Look up ambush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed...
An apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. Apex predators are usually...
inhabit the circumantarctic Southern Ocean. It is presumed to be an ambushpredator, and is likely a key prey item of the sperm whale. The first specimens...
predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. It is an alternate predation strategy to ambush predation —...
ultimately depends on a number of factors. Predators may deploy a variety of hunting methods such as ambush, ballistic interception, pack hunting or pursuit...
vertebrates. Like most pit vipers, the eastern copperhead is generally an ambushpredator; it takes up a promising position and waits for suitable prey to arrive...
correlated with the presence of other predators, prey species, livestock and humans. It is an ambushpredator that pursues a wide variety of prey. Ungulates...
legs and head appear almost translucent. Thomisus spectabilis is an ambushpredator, often seen resting in flowers of its same color. Its egg sacs are...
theory of predator–prey interactions, the relationship between herbivores and plants is cyclic. When prey (plants) are numerous their predators (herbivores)...
range of colors, from black to purple and more. This species is an ambushpredator; it hunts by burrowing its whole body in soft sediment on the ocean...
low shrubs in ecotonal areas. It is categorized as a "sit-and-wait ambushpredator" that waits for prey to come within reach and snatches them using its...
its predatory behaviour suggest that the thylacine was a solitary ambushpredator specialised in hunting small to medium-sized prey. Accounts suggest...
catch and kill prey in a similar method to species such as cheetahs. Ambushpredator behaviors have also been observed. They are very small, at about only...
food chain (adults not preyed upon by other animals) is termed an apex predator, regardless of whether it is an obligate or facultative carnivore. In captivity...
help avoid predators, some ambushpredators evolved camouflage that lets them ambush their prey. The tasseled scorpionfish is an ambushpredator that looks...
enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins suggestive of a bottom-dwelling ambushpredator ecology. Teeth have been assigned to the modern genus from the Late...
brightly colored red fins. Like all pikes, the redfin pickerel is an ambushpredator, lying amongst thick vegetation in wait for smaller, more agile prey...
supports the idea of Utahraptor being an ambushpredator, in contrast to other dromaeosaurs that were pursuit predators. The first specimens of Utahraptor were...
have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it...
energy as they lie and wait to ambush prey. An example of a flabby fish is the cusk-eel Acanthonus armatus, a predator with a huge head and a body that...
releasing fully formed froglets after a period of 4–5 months. It is an ambushpredator that lies in wait in the water for prey to come into range, which it...
growth would give them the added benefit of protection from potential predators such as other cannibals and give them an advantage when competing for...
than males. Frogfish and other shallow-water anglerfish species are ambushpredators, and often appear camouflaged as rocks, sponges or seaweed. Anglerfish...
binocular vision to help them move in trees. Smilodon was likely an ambushpredator that concealed itself in dense vegetation, as its limb proportions...
strong electric shock of up to 200 volts. It is a solitary, nocturnal ambushpredator that feeds mainly on bony fishes and crustaceans. This species is aplacental...
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