# How many animals kill things using gravity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841 "2023-03-07T16:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/1 "2023-03-07T16:42:11Z")
By which I mean by dropping prey and eating what’s left? I was reading about [bearded vultures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_vulture#Etymology) who do it, and the article mentioned golden eagles likewise know the trick. I’d guess corvids have figured it out. Anyone else? I originally only wanted to know about birds, but why limit the question? ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/2 "2023-03-07T16:58:10Z")
I first encountered this with Seagulls as a young child. The beach near my grandma’s house had a parking lot littered with broken mussle shells, and you could watch the Seagulls swoop up and drop them. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/3 "2023-03-07T17:16:33Z")
Bird species and the prey they drop: [https://academic.oup.com/view-large/2042934](https://academic.oup.com/view-large/2042934) Main article here: [https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/10/3/220/201460](https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/10/3/220/201460) (do nuts really count as prey?) ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/4 "2023-03-07T17:17:21Z")
One could argue that birds that lay eggs in other bird species’ nests, where the resulting chick is much larger than the others and can push them out of the nest, could qualify. The dead chicks may not be killed as food, but are dead nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/5 "2023-03-07T17:24:21Z")
Humans used to herd large animals such as buffaloes off cliffs to their death. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/6 "2023-03-07T17:42:01Z")
Not sure if this counts, but it’s my understanding that the bird is trying to break open, what it thinks is, an egg. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ij_5TMwqi4A/hqdefault.jpg "Bird bounces golf ball on the cart path!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij_5TMwqi4A) ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/7 "2023-03-07T18:01:47Z")
Peregrine Falcons kill prey birds by diving on them (at speeds that can approach 400 kph) and delivering a fatal blow from a “closed fist”. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/8 "2023-03-07T18:09:12Z")
Are there any non-flying animals that do this. Perhaps tusked mammals that toss their prey up in the air repeatedly? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/9 "2023-03-07T18:33:44Z")
In that sense some predators leap onto their prey but I don’t know if any actually kill like that. Elephants will try to crush their enemies to death with their immense weight. Elephants also may grab threats with their trunk and toss them in the air, as do other animals through other means, but not specifically to kill them although that must happen sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/10 "2023-03-07T18:35:12Z")
IIRC, dolphins my throw turtles/shells in the air which will break in very shallow waters. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/11 "2023-03-07T21:19:24Z")
I’ve seen that clip before, but you offer an excellent explanation. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/12 "2023-03-07T21:20:16Z")
Pretty darn shallow, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/13 "2023-03-07T22:09:17Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Not sure if this counts, but it’s my understanding that the bird is trying to break open, what it thinks is, an egg. My brother is a keen amateur golfer out in regional NSW and on seeing that video remarked that he was glad that emus hadn’t yet developed that skill. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/14 "2023-03-07T22:11:15Z")
How about dropping projectiles onto their prey? Do any animals do that? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/15 "2023-03-07T22:14:51Z")
Some antlion larvae dig conic pits that passing prey fall into and find escape difficult. From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion): > The steep-sloped trap that guides prey into the larva’s mouth while avoiding crater avalanches is one of the simplest and most efficient traps in the animal kingdom. Also, pitcher plants, a leafy green type of animal :), rely on insects falling into their pitfalls. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/16 "2023-03-07T22:41:43Z")
Eagles kill playwrights by dropping tortoises on them. Data collected over a long time span shows its got a 100% fatality rate! [Captured in this dramatic image](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/370755)! ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/17 "2023-03-08T16:36:02Z")
Oh come on. That only happens on Discworld. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/18 "2023-03-08T19:06:52Z")
Do eggs count? Egyptian vultures use rocks to crack eggs, both as a beak-held tool and tossed. I suppose they’re supplying a good part of the momentum too. Per Aristophane’s _totally_ historical account “Clouds”, lizards try to take out famous Greek philosophers too. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/19 "2023-03-09T00:12:34Z")
I think this is mostly limited to Wile E. Coyote? _The silence of the serene desert plain is suddenly broken by the crashing of rope and anvil and the boom of the TNT…_ ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841/20 "2023-03-09T03:48:00Z")
Last fall I heard a noise when looking out on my back deck, and saw a squirrel lying on the grass, just as a red hawk descended to finish the deal. The thud I heard was the squirrel hitting the ground after the hawk knocked it out of a tall tree. It was the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen, and fascinating to watch nature in action as the hawk ate its meal.