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Tech & Science dictionary results for apex predator.

apex predator

American  

[ey-peks pred-uh-ter, -tawr] / ˈeɪ pɛks ˈprɛd ə tər, -ˌtɔr /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of apex predator

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

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apex predator

Following the re-introduction of the sea eagle, the only other UK apex predator, Scottish farmers reported having to abandon their hill farms after the birds decimated their lamb populations.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

They also found many arthropods -- a family that includes modern-day crabs and insects -- including spiny, stalk-eyed creatures called radiodonts which were the apex predator of the time.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

Their invention was like dropping a new apex predator into the investment habitat—an unfair fight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

According to Voris, "This new species provides us the window into the ascent stage of Tyrannosaur evolution; right when they're transitioning from small predators to their apex predator form."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2025

Sharks had been swimming in the culture before that, to be sure, often with the prefix “man-eating” appended, though men eat sharks too, and way more often — so who’s the real apex predator?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025