# What is the highest-level animal that regularly kills and eats other animals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145 "2019-01-03T13:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/22 "2019-01-03T22:53:58Z")
Yeah that hit me a few minutes after I posted. My shame is great. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/23 "2019-01-03T23:33:51Z")
> [@Steven\_Estes](#): > > I should have made this much more clear by saying that I meant “killing and eating at the same time by the same individual”–which is what I meant to say. > > In other words, like lions and tigers and dolphins, not human beings. Maybe a place to start would be the wikipedia entry on[Apex predators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Apex_predators)- here’s the index list. If that’s not the sort of thing you’re after then obviously you’ll need to work on asking more clearly. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/24 "2019-01-04T00:33:54Z")
Man, I’m dying to know what the OP meant by “highest level”. I count 4 guesses so far: highest in intelligence, highest in trophic level, highest latitude and highest altitude (although maybe the last two were jokes). I’ll add a fifth, maybe he meant “highest” evolutionarily, under the erroneous assumption that that is a meaningful concept. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/25 "2019-01-04T02:50:57Z")
When someone says “highest level” I think of D&D. But I don’t think the entries in the Monster Manual have a character level specified, although I’m sure some (many, most?) are carnivorous. So the answer depends on what monsters the DM has created for your game. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/26 "2019-01-04T04:26:56Z")
I’m reasonably sure that Tiamat is primarily carnivorous, and she’s probably also in the habit of killing her food in the process of eating it. And she probably also rates highly in trophic level, intelligence, and altitude, though I’m not sure of her typical latitude. On the other hand, the Tarrasque, while lower level, eats a lot more than her. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/27 "2019-01-04T04:56:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What about human beings who eat pigs and cows, because they do have a choice, and pigs and cows are delicious? Describing the range of human carnivory as “snails and other humans” just sounds bizarre to me. Or those who eat snails because they’re yummy and fun to eat. In S France/N Spain, hunting snails is more common and more commonly done by those who will cook and eat them than the same for other local edible animals such as rabbit or boar: snail-hunting only needs working hands and feet and some sort of container. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/28 "2019-01-04T06:08:51Z")
Wikipedia notes that Polar Bears and Orcas have a fractional tropic level at about 5.0, the highest possible. Which means they are carnivores that eat carnivores that in turn eat carnivores. I guess that means eg Polar Bears eat seals which eat sea birds which eat something that eats plants. > **[Trophic level](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_level)** > > The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web. A food chain is a succession of organisms that eat other organisms and may, in turn, be eaten themselves. The trophic level of an organism is the number of steps it is from the start of the chain. A food web starts at trophic level 1 with primary producers such as plants, can move to herbivores at level 2, carnivores at level 3 or higher, and typically finish with apex predators at level 4 or 5. The path along the ch... So who wins in the Octagon, the Orca, the Polar Bear, or the Roman Legionary? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/29 "2019-01-04T06:12:30Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I guess that means eg Polar Bears eat seals which eat sea birds which eat something that eats plants. The seals eat fish that probably eat zooplankton (tiny animals in the plankton) that eat phytoplankton (tiny plants or cyanobacteria). ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/30 "2019-01-04T14:45:57Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Wikipedia notes that Polar Bears and Orcas have a fractional tropic level at about 5.0, the highest possible. Which means they are carnivores that eat carnivores that in turn eat carnivores. I guess that means eg Polar Bears eat seals which eat sea birds which eat something that eats plants. > > [Trophic level - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_level) > > So who wins in the Octagon, the Orca, the Polar Bear, or the Roman Legionary? Polar Bears FTW! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/31 "2019-01-04T19:32:55Z")
Chimpanzees ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/32 "2019-01-04T20:01:34Z")
I have decided animals that kill and eat their mates after mating are almost the worse. Except, maybe hamsters who routinely eat their babies. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/33 "2019-01-04T20:50:27Z")
Just checking in. We aren’t any closer to knowing what the original question meant, are we? But regardless, the answer seems to be polar bears, which is nice since they’ve been having such a tough time of it recently. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/34 "2019-01-04T21:01:05Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Chimpanzees From the OP: > [@](#): > > And I DON’T mean primates ---
**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:** [January 4, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/35 "2019-01-04T21:01:50Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I guess that means eg Polar Bears eat seals which eat sea birds which eat something that eats plants. Seals eat birds? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/36 "2019-01-04T21:36:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Seals eat birds? They eat penguins ([and worse](http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141117-why-seals-have-sex-with-penguins)). But those aren’t the same seals being eaten by polar bears. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/37 "2019-01-04T21:38:41Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > They eat penguins ([and worse](http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141117-why-seals-have-sex-with-penguins)). But those aren’t the same seals being eaten by polar bears. Hey, spoiler! ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/38 "2019-01-04T22:45:36Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Seals eat birds? Wiki: All pinnipeds are carnivorous and predatory. As a whole, they mostly feed on fish and cephalopods, followed by crustaceans and bivalves, and then zooplankton and endothermic (“warm-blooded”) prey like sea birds.[94] While most species are generalist and opportunistic feeders, a few are specialists. [Pinniped - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinniped#Behavior_and_life_history) To maintain the Polar Bear’s distinguished trophic position, we have to place seals on the 4th trophic level. That means that the seals have to mostly eat carnivores, rather than plant-eaters. Colibri clarified: > [@](#): > > The seals eat fish that probably eat zooplankton (tiny animals in the plankton) that eat phytoplankton (tiny plants or cyanobacteria). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/39 "2019-01-04T23:05:36Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > When someone says “highest level” I think of D&D. But I don’t think the entries in the Monster Manual have a character level specified, although I’m sure some (many, most?) are carnivorous. So the answer depends on what monsters the DM has created for your game. I keep thinking of the flavor text on the old school Grey Ogre card from Magic: The Gathering: “_The Ogre philosopher Gnerdel believed the purpose of life was to live as high on the food chain as possible. She refused to eat vegetarians, preferring to live entirely on creatures that preyed on sentient beings._” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/40 "2019-01-05T00:32:48Z")
> [@Steven\_Estes](#): > > I should have made this much more clear by saying that I meant “killing and eating at the same time by the same individual”–which is what I meant to say. I, a human, have eaten live octopus. A chef with a knife cut it into little pieces 10 seconds before, but it was still alive and wriggling when I ate it. You have to chew the tentacles well so the suckers don’t grab ahold of your esophagus on the way down. I didn’t do this out of necessity, but because it’s tasty. Also, people eat snails on purpose. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145/41 "2019-01-05T00:54:30Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Also, people eat snails on purpose. Alive? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-level-animal-that-regularly-kills-and-eats-other-animals/827145.md?page=3)