Image Rights: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogfish by Tanako Juuyoh
If you want to succeed in hunting in the wilderness, you should definitely come with a plan. The prey won’t exactly walk right into your open mouth. That’s why some animals are sprinters, some are endurance runners and others just rely on the fact that their prey will come to them on their own. Usually they do that at places, where their prey has to show up sooner or later. Places like waterholes or similarly essential locations. Crocodiles are known for this hunting method because they lurk around said waterholes. That’s where they’ll be; ready to snap a thirsty gnu or zebra’s neck.
Other animals however, are quite cunning and smart hunters. They imitate the prey of the prey, so to speak to lure in smaller predators to feed on them. Frogfish for instance have a sort of antenna or hinge on their foreheads. That’s what they use to mimic little fish or shrimps to attract small predatory fish. Once they’re close enough, the frogfish only has to swallow. Some related species that live deep in the seas even have
Photophores attached to the antenna. Different snake types like the horned viper that domiciles in the Western part of the Iran use their tail tips as bait. The tips look like worms or insects that happen to be the prey of small lizards. What the snake does is hide behind woodpiles or below foliage with just the tail tip hanging out. The lizard unsuspectingly comes around and is eaten alive in mere seconds.
Various wild cats like the South American Margay fake the call of their prey. They favor small monkeys, so when they call out, grown monkeys come with the goal to save a pup only to die as prey of the vicious predator.
Deceit, patience and trickery are essential tools in terms of hunting. The prey is being tricked, forgets to pay attention and falls into the arms of their predators. You see: In nature, not everything is like it seems.
Copyright: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/verhaltensbiologie-taeuschen-und-toeten-1.974231 und http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-tailed_horned_viper and
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglerfische
