The snake carefully takes its time to assess its prey before swiftly moving in for the kill all the while mimicking a vine in the forest, even moving side to side as if swaying gently in the wind! In fact, the genus of the King Cobra – Ophiophagus – means snake-eater in Latin.ĭeath by Camouflage – The unlucky frog ( Indirana sp.) didn’t realise that it was being carefully stalked by the master of camouflage – the Common Vine Snake ( Ahaetulla nasuta). The longest venomous snake in the world (reaching over 15 feet in length in the Western Ghats) feeds almost exclusively on other snakes, occasionally gobbling up Monitor Lizards. Predatory Strategy – Active Foraging and StalkingĪ Choosy King – Some predators are very specialized in their diet, like the King Cobra ( Ophiophagus hannah). Here, we look at the lesser-noticed, yet ubiquitous predators of these forests. Birds – from the spectacular Great Hornbill to the mighty Black Eagle to the tiny Speckled Piculet – have a wide range of diet preferences. Mammalian predators like tigers, leopards and dholes roam the rainforests of the Western Ghats (typically following a foraging and stalking strategy). Some animals, like ants, hunt in large groups with a third strategy – Legionary Behaviour. “Sit and Wait” for prey to walk in on them.Active Foraging and Stalking prey, using thick cover to their advantage.Most rainforest predators hunt solitarily, possibly due to the difficulty in communicating in the dense forest. As species evolve, their strategies get increasingly intriguing. And predators need to maintain the pace so that they get to their next meal.

Prey species continuously adapt to stay one step ahead of the predators.

They are an important cog in the circle of life as they control prey populations thereby maintaining an ecological balance. Some of the animals have evolved to hunt and feed on other animals and are called predators. Over half of all plant and animal species are found in these eco-systems that occupy less than 6% of the Earth’s area. Rainforests can be called the laboratories of life.

The wild at heart sticky substance