When it comes to survival in the animal kingdom, size isn’t always the determining factor. Some creatures possess such incredible strength, cunning or venom that they can take down prey twice their size.
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- Apex predators: What they are, why they're important and how apex predators affect ecosystems
Here are 10 formidable animals that can overcome much larger adversaries, from the majestic tiger and remarkable Komodo dragon, to the bat-hunting giant centipede and even a beetle larva that reverses the typical predator-prey relationship.
10 animals that can devour prey twice their size
Tiger
The tiger preys on medium and large-sized ungulates (hooved mammals) such as deer and wild boar and is typically an ambush predator – waiting and hiding for prey to come close enough.
It can take down prey twice its size and is strong enough to drag away the carcass of a full-grown buffalo. However, only one in 10 of a tiger’s hunts are successful.
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Wolverine
Native to the more northern and remote regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the wolverine is the largest land-dwelling carnivore in the weasel family.
Like the honey badger of Africa and Asia it is famously ferocious. Although it preys primarily on small to medium-sized mammals it can take down larger deer, including reindeer (caribou) and moose.
Stoat and least weasel
Although they are small members of the weasel family (the least weasel being the smallest) both stoats and least weasels can take down prey larger than themselves, including rabbits and even young hares. Typically, males prey on these lagomorphs more frequently than females.
Amazonian giant centipede
Armed with a powerful venom, the giant centipede preys on a variety of other animals, including other invertebrates and small vertebrates.
One study examined its predation on bats, suggesting that it could hang from a cave ceiling and inject its venom into a bat. Although the measured bat wasn’t quite twice its weight, it was a close thing – and this centipede has separately caused the death of a human child, and eaten flesh from a human corpse.
Komodo dragon
Endemic to four Indonesian islands (including Komodo), the Komodo dragon is the largest living species of lizard, measuring up to 3m in length and typically weighing around 70kg.
One of the world's deadliest reptiles, its prey includes smaller items, such as birds and small reptiles, all the way up to deer and even water buffalo, weighing in at over 600kg.
House mice
This may seem like a surprising inclusion on the list, but sadly it’s true. The non-native house mice introduced to the sub-Antarctica Gough and Marion Islands have been attacking and killing endangered albatrosses.
It was previously thought that they were killing just the chicks, but they have recently been discovered to have inflicted fatal injuries on adult albatrosses.
Epomis beetle
The Epomis subgenus of beetle represents a remarkable role reversal, being both prey and predator. While amphibians are known to feed on beetles, both the larvae and the adults of the Epomis beetle manage to kill and eat amphibians.
The larva tricks the amphibian into coming closer, then pierces the amphibian’s flesh with its mandibles and sucks it dry.
Orca
The orca is known as a predator of large marine animals – it is also called the ‘killer whale’. However, recent research has shown that this distinctive marine predator has successfully attacked and killed the world’s largest animal.
A female blue whale, measuring between 18-22m, was documented being killed in a co-ordinated attack by at least 12 orca.
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Army ants
Although army ants are individually small, they come together to take down impressively-sized prey – in numbers of up to 500,000 in a day. In Africa, swarms of driver ants are said to attack and dismember anything in their path, including grasshoppers, beetles and venomous scorpions. They are sometimes welcomed by farmers, as they play a role in reducing numbers of pests.
Tarantula wasps or hawks
As the name suggests, these wasps have a speciality – preying on tarantulas. However, neither the female (which catches and paralyses the spiders) nor the males actually eat the tarantula.
Instead, they feed on nectar, lay a single wasp egg on top of the paralysed spider, then leave the two (egg and spider) in a chamber together. When the egg hatches the wasp larva gradually consumes the still-alive, but paralysed, spider.
