Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

Animals That Stay at the Top of the Food Chain

A food chain, or food web, is the connection of animals in a specific habitat based on diet. All food chains start with a primary energy source, which is usually the sun. Primary producers are organisms that produce their own food using the energy from the sun. These primary producers are fed on by primary consumers. Quaternary consumers, the animals at the top of the food chain, prey on tertiary consumers who, in turn, prey on the secondary consumers who prey on primary consumers.

Enemies
- Quaternary consumers have few natural enemies in their native environments. The main threat to these animals is from their own species. If these animals did have predators that preyed on them, they would become tertiary consumers and their predators would be the true quaternary consumers. Animals that remain on the top of the food chain are typically genetically strong, like the lion, crocodile, killer whale and hawk. These animals prey on many different animals, but have virtually no natural predators that hunt them.
Competition
- In many habitats, more than one species of quaternary consumer exists. Oftentimes, these competing species have different prey types, but their prey does overlap in some instances. An example of species competing for the same prey type are lions and leopards. Eagles and tigers are two species of quaternary consumers that can coexist easily because they do not hunt the same prey.
Changing Position
- Many quaternary consumers function as other types of consumers at certain times in their lives. Some species can function as all types of consumers at some point or another. For example, when a bear eats berries, it is a primary consumer. When that same bear eats a mouse that feeds on plants, the bear is a secondary consumer. Eating salmon, which feeds on herring, makes the bear a tertiary consumer. While bears tend to remain at this level, when food is scarce, some male bears will feed on young bears, making them quaternary consumers.
Diet
- All quaternary consumers are carnivores, which means they eat meat. Some are classified as omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. These animals represent the end of the food chain, and as such, cannot be herbivores. Quaternary consumers can consume primary and secondary consumers and still remain at the top of the food chain. Some of these species even eat plants on occasion, making them primary consumers at times.
Quantity
- As one moves up the food chain, the amount of organisms occupying each tier is reduced. The food chain can be drawn similar to a food pyramid, with producers at the bottom, with the largest population. The population of primary consumers is less than that of the producers, and so on up the pyramid. The quaternary producers, which are at the top of the pyramid, are the least populous. This is because more energy is required to maintain quaternary consumers.

Animals & Science