Surplus killing

Some animals which have been observed engaging in surplus killing hunt alone, some are mainly pack hunters. Some opinions include humans. Bears: brown bears, American black bears, polar bears. Canines: wolves, coyotes, red fox, weasels, honey badgers, minks, raccoons, spotted hyena, Invertebrates: zooplankton, damselfly naiads, spiders. == Example cases ==

In Tasmania, in a single dog attack, 58 little penguins were killed. In mainland Australia, a single fox once killed around 74 penguins over several days, eating almost nothing. One leopard in Cape Province, South Africa killed 51 sheep and lambs in a single incident. Similarly, two caracal in Cape Province killed 22 sheep in one night, eating only part of the buttock of one carcass. Up to 19 spotted hyenas once killed 82 Thomson's gazelle and badly injured 27, eating just 16%. In late autumn, least weasels often surplus-kill vole and then dig them up and eat them on winter days when it is too cold to hunt. In March 2016, a pack of 9 grey wolves in Wyoming was found to have killed 19 elk. John Lund, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said that he had never documented surplus killings that extreme from grey wolves. In Florida, laboratory experiments documented cases of surplus killing in larvae of the predatory midge Corethrella appendiculata against specific larval stages of different species of mosquitoes of the genus Toxorhynchites. == Possible causes ==

In surplus killing, predators eat only the most-preferred animals and animal parts. Bears engaging in surplus killing of salmon are more likely to eat unspawned fish because of higher muscle quality, and high-energy parts such as brains and eggs. == See also ==