FOLLOWING YOUR FOOD
How the animal kingdom’s stalkers ambush their prey
Favoured as a hunting strategy among many apex predators, stalking allows an animal to wait for the precise moment prey is most vulnerable. Lions (Panthera
leo) are one of nature’s keenest stalkers. It’s usually the females who are more likely to actively hunt, beginning at around two years old. While roaming the savanna, when females spot prey they quietly follow them through tall grasslands until they’re within around 30 metres.
Hunting is typically done in groups, with lionesses creating a formation to the left, centre and right of the prey. When the time is right, the group charges and pounces, delivering a fatal blow and bringing the animal to the ground. Stalking isn’t always necessary for these apex predators, and is more likely to be reserved for large prey such as zebras and impala, not small prey like rodents and reptiles.
Tigers favour stalking their prey, but as solo predators.
Roughly once a week, an adult tiger ventures through its habitat to hunt. Its striped body is designed to assist it with remaining undetected while stalking prey. When a tiger is within around six to nine metres of its prey, it pounces, targeting the neck and delivering a fatal bite. Wolves, crocodiles and polar bears also track their prey until it’s the perfect moment to pounce.
For the winged predators of the animal kingdom, stalking prey from the sky is a bit trickier without any camouflage to rely on. Raptors, such as peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), rely on sheer speed and agility to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. As the fastest-moving animals on Earth, peregrine falcons can dive through the air at speeds of up to 240 miles per hour to grab prey. While stalking prey, such as other smaller birds, peregrines can top 65 miles per hour in high-speed pursuits.