A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other animals. Prey is an animal that gets hunted and eaten. Many animals are both — a frog is a predator when it eats a fly, and prey when a snake eats it. Predators and prey have special body features that help them hunt or escape.
Play a predator-prey tag game outside where some children are "mice" and others are "hawks." Discuss what body features help predators catch food and what features help prey escape. Compare pictures of predator eyes (front-facing) and prey eyes (side-facing).
In the animal world, there is a constant game being played: some animals hunt, and some animals try not to get caught. The hunters are called predators, and the animals they hunt are called prey. This relationship between predators and prey is one of the most important in all of nature.
Predators have bodies built for hunting. Lions have powerful legs for chasing, sharp claws for grabbing, and strong jaws for biting. Eagles have incredible eyesight that can spot a mouse from high in the sky, sharp talons for snatching, and a hooked beak for tearing meat. Wolves work in packs to surround and bring down animals larger than themselves. Predators usually have forward-facing eyes that help them focus on their target and judge exactly how far away it is.
Prey animals have bodies built for escaping. Rabbits have long back legs for leaping away quickly and big ears for hearing approaching danger. Deer can run very fast and zigzag through the forest. Zebras have black-and-white stripes that make it hard for a lion to pick out one zebra from the herd. Many prey animals have eyes on the sides of their heads so they can see in almost every direction at once — they are always watching for danger.
Here is an important fact: many animals are both predator and prey. A frog is a predator when it catches a fly with its sticky tongue. But that same frog is prey when a snake sneaks up and swallows it. The snake is a predator of the frog, but it becomes prey when a hawk swoops down and grabs it. Almost every animal in a food chain plays both roles.
Predators are not villains. They play a crucial role in keeping nature balanced. Without wolves, deer populations would explode, and the deer would eat all the plants, which would harm the entire forest. Predators keep prey populations at a size that the habitat can support. It is not about good and bad — it is about balance.