# Most successful predator besides us, statistics-wise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588 "2011-04-07T21:46:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/21 "2011-04-08T05:14:00Z")
WAH! I want the highest kill rate for predators that kill ONE animal at a time… ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/22 "2011-04-08T05:20:27Z")
In terms of actual mega-vertebrate predators ( i.e. excluding things like shrews ), [Cape Hunting Dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_pictus) have been cited at an 80-90% success rate. If not the winner I suspect they’re at least competitive. Unlike, say, the very widely distributed wolf, they have much more restricted range in what I suspect is a more consistently game-rich environment. And as far as I’ve ever read they are more efficient than any of their local competitors ( though they can of course be muscled off their kills ). ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/23 "2011-04-08T06:10:18Z")
Bears! Giant, marauding, godless killing machines… ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/24 "2011-04-08T09:16:59Z")
Tortoises have a 100% kill rate against lettuce. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/25 "2011-04-08T09:32:56Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > WAH! I want the highest kill rate for predators that kill ONE animal at a time… There is still a major definitional problem. If a bat goes out and darts around catching insects one after the other, does that count as eating one animal at a time? After all I’m sure bats often dart after insects that get away. So if a otter goes and grabs a clam and brings it to shore and eats it, then goes and grabs another does that count as a two successful kills? If so then then how about a walrus that eats fifty clams, one after the other, in about 5 minutes. Does that count as fifty successful kills? If so then the walrus will have the best kill ratio, about 99% I imagine. And if the walrus is not allowed, why isn’t it allowed? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/26 "2011-04-08T11:44:08Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Tortoises have a 100% kill rate against lettuce. I dunno…I had some lettuce in mexico that put up quite a fight. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/27 "2011-04-08T12:53:46Z")
We have herons which stand in our shallows & snap up 4-6" fish. Very rarely do I see a heron miss. It often stands there for several minutes before striking, but once it makes its move, the fish is almost always lunch. **Blake** : I see your point about bats & insects, but what percentage of attempts by a particular bat to snag a particular bug succeed? A few, most, almost all? I certainly have no clue. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/28 "2011-04-08T14:57:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > **Blake** : I see your point about bats & insects, but what percentage of attempts by a particular bat to snag a particular bug succeed? A few, most, almost all? I certainly have no clue. Well that makes two of us. 😃 And since there are hundreds of species of bat that feed on everything from horses to other bats to spiders to fish to earthworms it’s probably not even a sensible question. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/29 "2011-04-08T16:34:13Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > In terms of actual mega-vertebrate predators ( i.e. excluding things like shrews ), [Cape Hunting Dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_pictus) have been cited at an 80-90% success rate. If not the winner I suspect they’re at least competitive. Unlike, say, the very widely distributed wolf, they have much more restricted range in what I suspect is a more consistently game-rich environment. And as far as I’ve ever read they are more efficient than any of their local competitors ( though they can of course be muscled off their kills ). Thank you very much! That’s the answer I was looking for (and it appears I had retained the lion figure accurately, it was reported as 30% in that article.) But more than that, thank you because I read that whole article and learned a great deal about that species that I didn’t know and found extremely interesting. They are pretty awesome in many respects, not least the fact that they care for their old and sick. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/30 "2011-04-08T17:59:08Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Badass? [Honey badger](http://www.badassoftheweek.com/honeybadger.html). Don’t let the name fool you. It gets the name from the nonchalance with which it rips open beehives, munching on the larvae as the hive’s defenders sting it in vain. Holy cow, that thing is scary! :eek: It seems to be an opportunistic hunter, as in “Hey, I’m hungry. I think I’ll eat that snake/cow/lion, etc.” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/31 "2011-04-08T18:14:32Z")
> [@Satchmo](#): > > Praying Mantis: if you see them, they’re not moving. Except when they’re grabbing food. It’s said if they achieved the weight of frogs, there wouldn’t be any larger creatures. > > [Mantis - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_mantis) I’ve always thought mantises were awesome and that’s a badass saying, but what do they actually do? They have 2 crooked arms and as far as I know, they don’t sting nor do they have poisons. Why makes them dangerous? ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/32 "2011-04-08T18:39:47Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Badass? [Honey badger](http://www.badassoftheweek.com/honeybadger.html). Don’t let the name fool you. It gets the name from the nonchalance with which it rips open beehives, munching on the larvae as the hive’s defenders sting it in vain. :eek: It’s like a tiny ball of awesome!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/33 "2011-04-08T18:43:01Z")
Holy crap, that honey badger page was awesome. It rips the testicles off lions! And probably humans too! ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/34 "2011-04-08T19:27:37Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Holy crap, that honey badger page was awesome. It rips the testicles off lions! And probably humans too! Now we know the true reason that humans evolved to stand upright. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/35 "2011-04-08T20:58:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I see your point about bats & insects, but what percentage of attempts by a particular bat to snag a particular bug succeed? A few, most, almost all? I certainly have no clue. Last summer I was watching a firefly over our front lawn, when out of the dusk flew a dark, bat-like shape and the firefly blinked out and was gone. Don’t know if it was representative, but your post reminded me of it. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/36 "2011-04-08T21:25:49Z")
That honey badger essay was very funny, and the critter really is a badass motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/37 "2011-04-09T16:38:04Z")
I’ve heard that cougars have an incredibly high kill percentage, but I’m not able to find a cite. Does anyone have any knowledge of that? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/38 "2011-04-09T17:49:14Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ve heard that cougars have an incredibly high kill percentage, but I’m not able to find a cite. Does anyone have any knowledge of that? There’s one in [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2vcFaZWJkg) ( weird the things you find on the internet ). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/39 "2011-04-09T18:01:46Z")
What was the cougar success rate in that video, 85%? That’s not bad at all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588/40 "2011-04-10T03:38:46Z")
I’m with **Blake** : unless you exclude predation on immobile or very slow creatures, the winner is almost certainly going to be a creature that eats bivalves or urchins or snails or the like. If you count starfish, for example, you may be able to find a species that moves slowly over to an immobile prey species and bores a hole through the shell nearly 100% of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-predator-besides-us-statistics-wise/577588.md?page=3)