apex predator

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Leopard (Panthera pardus) resting on a large rock, looking forward with spotted fur visible against a background of foliage.

killer whale (Orcinus orca)

white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

gray wolf (Canis lupus)

Side-by-side illustration comparing an ecosystem before and after the removal of top carnivores. The left panel shows a balanced landscape with wolves, bears, foxes, diverse birds, and a variety of plants, while the right panel shows an ecosystem dominated by large herbivores like elk and deer, fewer predators, reduced plant variety, and less songbird diversity.

apex predator: References & Edit History

More Articles On This Topic

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to the natural world.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Modified link of Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Ecosystem context and historical contingency in apex predator recoveries.	Gloria Lotha	Oct 17, 2026
	Add new Web site: Movement Ecology - Space use and habitat selection of an invasive mesopredator and sympatric, native apex predator.	Aakanksha Gaur	Aug 02, 2025
	Add new Web site: Oregon State University - College of Forestry - Global Trophic Cascades Program - What is an apex predator? (PDF).	Grace Young	Feb 15, 2025
	Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Ecosystem context and historical contingency in apex predator recoveries.	Emily Rodriguez	Dec 19, 2024
	Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Marine Science - Editorial: Ecological and behavioral traits of apex predators in oceanic insular ecosystems: advances and challenges in research and conservation.	Gloria Lotha	Aug 22, 2024
	Add new Web site: Scientific Reports - Severe conservation risks of roads on apex predators.	Gloria Lotha	Jun 25, 2024
	Add new Web site: ABC - Education - What is the apex predator of the world?	Gloria Lotha	Mar 08, 2024
	Add new Web site: Oregon State University - College of Forestry - Global Trophic Cascades Program - What is an apex predator?	Gloria Lotha	Jan 25, 2024
	Links added.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Sep 29, 2023
	Add new Web site: The Royal Society - Biology Letters - Loss of an apex predator in the wild induces physiological and behavioural changes in prey.	Gloria Lotha	Aug 26, 2023
	Add new Web site: Academia - Ecosystem context and historical contingency in apex predator recoveries (PDF).	Emily Rodriguez	Jun 24, 2023
	Add new Web site: PNAS - Estimating and forecasting spatial population dynamics of apex predators using transnational genetic monitoring.	Aakanksha Gaur	Feb 15, 2023
	New article added.	John P. Rafferty	Aug 04, 2022