捕食：修订间差异

[[File:Hawk eating prey.jpg|thumb|300px|right|一隻捕食[[田鼠]]的[[紅尾鷹鵟]]。]]

===== 耐力捕猎食 =====

另外一种比较特殊的追击捕猎方式是耐力捕猎（endurance hunting）hunting）——也称穷追捕猎（persistence hunting），偏重于用长时间难以摆脱的跟踪骚扰让猎物无法休息，直至目标因为[[疲劳]]或[[高热]]丧失行动能力为止。使用这种捕猎法比较有名的动物包括[[史前]][[人属|人类]]（见[[耐力跑假说]]）和[[非洲野犬]]，其中非洲野犬常常能用中低速尾随数英里捕杀比自己体型大得多的猎物<ref name="HubelMyattJordanDewhirst2016">{{cite journal | last1=Hubel | first1=Tatjana Y. | last2=Myatt | first2=Julia P. | last3=Jordan | first3=Neil R. | last4=Dewhirst | first4=Oliver P. | last5=McNutt | first5=J. Weldon | last6=Wilson | first6=Alan M. | title=Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs | journal=Nature Communications | volume=7 | date=2016-03-29 | doi=10.1038/ncomms11034 | pmid=27023457 | pmc=4820543 | page=11034 |quote= Cursorial hunting strategies range from one extreme of transient acceleration, power and speed to the other extreme of persistence and endurance with prey being fatigued to facilitate capture.Dogs and humans are considered to rely on endurance rather than outright speed and manoeuvrability for success when hunting cursorially.}}</ref>，捕食成功率超过60%甚至能达到90%<ref>Schaller, George B. (1973). ''Golden Shadows, Flying Hooves''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 277. {{ISBN|978-0-394-47243-0}}.</ref>，远高于体能远强于自己的狮子（27～30%）和鬣狗（25～30%）<ref>{{cite web|date=18 June 2014|title=Facts on the African wild dog|url=http://goodnature.nathab.com/ten-facts-about-the-african-wild-dog/|access-date=14 March 2019|website=goodnature.nathab.com/|archive-date=2019-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307173802/http://goodnature.nathab.com/ten-facts-about-the-african-wild-dog|dead-url=no}}</ref>，虽然经常会被后两者抢走猎物<ref>{{cite journal |volume=1 |issue=1 |title=Six ecological factors that may limit African wild dogs, ''Lycaon pictus'' |year=1998 |journal=Animal Conservation |pages=1–9 |last1=Creel |first1=S. |last2=Marusha Creel |first2=N. |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1111/j.1469-1795.1998.tb00220.x |doi-access=free }}</ref>。

許多捕食者特化成只獵捕單一物種的獵物，其他則可能會殺害並吃掉任何對象。特化的物種通常適應於獵取特定的獵物，而這些獵物也通常會特化成善於逃離這些捕食者，這種現象稱為“[[演化]][[軍備競賽军备竞赛]]”（evolutionary arms race），會使兩物種的族群得以維持平衡。有些捕食者特化成獵捕特定分類範圍的獵物，而不是只有單一物種。假如適合的目標稀少，牠們可能[[絕種]]或演化為[[食腐動物|食腐]]或[[草食動物|草食]]動物。