Predator

A predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). This interaction is termed predation. Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption.

Predators increase the biodiversity of communities by preventing a single species from becoming dominant. Such predators are known as keystone predators and may have a profound influence on the balance of organisms in a particular ecosystem. Introduction or removal of this predator, or changes in its population density, can have cascading effects on the equilibrium of many other populations in the ecosystem. Apex predators are predators with no natural predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain (e.g. Terrans, sentients).