apex predator

[ ey-peks pred-uh-ter, -tawr ]

noun

1. a carnivore that preys on other animals but has no natural predators of its own; the predator at the top of a particular food chain:

   Sharks fill an important ecological niche as apex predators, keeping the population of other species from exploding.

Word History and Origins

Origin of apex predator¹

First recorded in 1960–65