ABSTRACT
Predators are a special category of consumer. We define what predators are, showing that these organisms have evolved to be specialized and efficient. With specialization comes fragility, especially regarding susceptibility to human consumption. Events of predation can be generalized, with predators likely minimizing energy costs and maximizing energy intake across these stages. We will show that predators probably do not make optimal foraging decisions in the environment but that their foraging choices are not random. We conclude by showing why predators rarely hunt their prey to extinction. Humans, having shown a strong proclivity in the past several millennia for causing mass extinctions of top predators in ecosystems, are the exception.
