Graduate Research Course
Predators
From the 97%-success dragonfly hunt to the breaching great white, from silent owl flight to orca wave-washing — the biophysics, biochemistry, and ecology of every hunting strategy life has evolved.
The biology of predation across taxa
Hunt mechanics, social strategies, and trophic cascades
About This Course
Predation is the ecological force that shapes every surviving species. A cheetah accelerates at 10 m/s² — faster than any supercar — but abandons 30% of hunts from hyperthermia. A dragonfly catches 97% of prey it commits to, using predictive neural interception. A mantis shrimp strikes with a club that reaches 23 m/s, cavitating water to produce a secondary shock wave that hits harder than the club itself. A jaguar bites with 6000 N at the canines, piercing caiman skull through the braincase. A wolf pack runs 20 km at steady 15 km/h exhausting moose. This course treats the mechanics, chemistry, and ecology of predation.
Cross-links: Savanna M5 Big Cats,Feline Biophysics,Cetacean Biophysics,Eagle Biophysics,Insect Biophysics,Spider Biophysics.
Key Equations
Lotka-Volterra Predation
\( \dot N = rN - aNP, \quad \dot P = eaNP - mP \)
Holling Functional Response
\( f(N) = \frac{aN}{1 + ahN} \)
Predator Sprint Energy
\( P = \tfrac12 \rho C_d A v^3 + \mu M g v \)
Bite Force Quotient
\( \text{BFQ} = F_{bite}/M^{2/3} \)
Ambush vs. Pursuit ESS
\( E_{amb}/E_{pur} = f(prey\ density, \ v) \)
Dragonfly Interception
\( \vec r_{intercept} = \vec r_0 + \vec v t,\ \vec v = \text{const angle} \)
Nine Modules
M0
What is a Predator?
Definition and classification: apex vs. meso, ambush vs. pursuit vs. sit-and-wait, endothermic vs. ectothermic strategies, functional response types I/II/III.
M1
Ambush Predators
Jaguar skull-crush bite 6000 N, pit vipers and boids IR pits, anglerfish lure, praying mantis raptorial strike (50-90 ms), pitcher plants, crocodilian ambush.
M2
Pursuit Predators
Wolf pack endurance, cheetah 105 km/h burst (Wilson 2013), orca 56 km/h, sailfish and marlin pelagic sprinting, raptors stoop dynamics, bats acoustic pursuit.
M3
Cooperative & Social
Lion pride encirclement (Stander 1992), African wild dog 80% success rate, orca pod wave-washing seals, killer whale ecotypes, driver ants, Harris hawk.
M4
Stealth, Camouflage & Sensory
Owl silent flight (trailing-edge comb, Graham 1934), jumping spider Portia cognitive hunting, mantis shrimp cavitation strike, squid dynamic chromatophores, disruptive colouration.
M5
Apex Predators & Trophic Cascades
Yellowstone wolf reintroduction (Ripple 2005 cascade), sea-otter kelp-urchin cascade (Estes 1974), tiger on Indian ungulates, shark mesoprotector cascade.
M6
Marine Predators
Great white Carcharodon hunting breach, tiger shark diet breadth, orca Type A-D, billfish high-aspect-ratio hunting, colossal squid giant eye, polar bear seal ambush.
M7
Invertebrate Predators
Dragonfly 97% hunt success (Combes 2012), octopus camouflage and problem-solving, assassin bug, army ants (Eciton, Dorylus), spider web hunting, pistol shrimp cavitation.
M8
Coevolution & Conservation
Predator-prey arms race (Dawkins 1979), Batesian vs. Mullerian mimicry, bat-moth 60-Myr acoustic war, carnivore declines (Ripple 2014), human-wildlife conflict.