Aquatic ecology and Biodiversity

Unit 8- Animal associations and interactions

8.8. Predation

It is an animal relationship where one animal kills and devours the other animal for food. A predator is one organism which kills its prey belonging to another species for food and the animal which is killed, is called prey. As Elton observes “the predator is said to live on capital whereas the parasite lives on interest”. Predator is bigger than the prey while parasites are smaller than their host.
All animals and insectivorous plants are predatory. The predators are of two types. They are herbivorous and carnivorous. The predators which eat plants are called herbivores. The predators which kill and eat animals are called carnivores.