Glossary

Apex predator

An animal at the top of its food chain that adults of the species hunt and that has no natural predators of its own.

Also called: top predator, top carnivore, keystone predator

An apex predator sits at the top of the food chain. Healthy adults are not normally hunted by other animals, although they may die from disease, injury, starvation, fighting with their own kind, or people. Among the cats, the lion, the tiger and the jaguar are classic examples, and the leopard and cougar fill the role in many places. Top predators matter because they affect everything below them. They keep numbers of grazing animals in check, and they influence where those animals feed and rest. When a top predator is removed, grazers can increase and damage plant life, and medium-sized predators can multiply and take more small animals and birds. Scientists call these knock-on effects a trophic cascade. The strength of the effect is debated and differs between ecosystems.

Apex predators need large areas and plentiful prey, so they often disappear first as land is cleared. Their return can help a habitat recover but may bring conflict with farmers. The domestic cat is a small predator that is not at the top of any wild food chain. Pet and stray cats can still harm birds and small animals where they roam, even though they are not apex predators. All of these animals are felid species.

Last reviewed November 7, 2026

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Related terms

Big cat An informal name for the largest wild cats, usually the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar, and often the snow leopard, cheetah and cougar too. Felid Any member of the cat family, Felidae, from the house cat to the tiger, and including extinct cats such as the sabre-toothed cats. Rewilding Restoring natural processes and, often, missing species such as large predators, to a landscape so that it can run with little human management. Human-wildlife conflict Harm that people and wild animals cause each other, such as big cats killing livestock and herders killing cats in return. Wildlife corridor A strip of habitat or a crossing structure that links separate wild areas so animals can travel between them safely.