Spot the Frippet: a predator.

A predator is a life-form (not always animal) which eats other life-forms, its prey, and thus causes the prey's death.


photo by Ansgar Walk

Nature, being red in tooth and claw, is full of predators: we tend to think of them as romantic and dashing (tigers, wolves, tyrannosaurus reges*); or, sometimes, nasty and terrifying (spiders and snakes). 

We hardly ever consider predators such as dragonflies:


Blue Dasher dragonfly, photo by R. A. Nonenmacher

Even a mouse is said by some to be a seed predator, but that's really stretching the meaning of the word predator into something too soupy to be useful.

We humans sometimes call ourselves the ultimate predator, but we're just flattering ourselves. How often do you stalk, catch and kill your own dinner?

Yep.

Sorry about this, but humans are mostly scavengers - and those fake claws are fooling nobody.


photo by User:Saramerie

Spot the Frippet: a predator. The Latin word praedārī means to pillage, and praeda means booty.

*Or rexes, if you like. (I was thinking of flirting with tyrannosauri rex, but that would be madness on several counts.)