#outrun ambush predators!

[proustianrevelry]

Wrong. Altering food before you eat it? Using tools? Making tools? All done by other species

The true essence of humanity is: we are the only animal that has sweat glands all over its entire body

Horses are also humans.

“sex/romance/empathy makes us human,” they say. awful. pathetic. what makes us human is the urge to set things on fire

[thisisnotthenerd]

in peace

It’s difficult to think through the red-tinted rage, seeping through wires and metal to meet a glowing blue arcane battery. The pain is blinding, all-encompassing, but secondary to the sight of Otohan Thull brandishing her swords.

Orym and Ashton lie unconscious on the ground, Imogen and Chetney struggling not far off. Laudna and Fearne stand, magic crackling at their fingertips even as their wellsprings are exhausted from fighting her off.

It’s a matter of simple calculation; there is no hope of outrunning her, there is no hope of outlasting her. 

Fresh Cut Grass, Faithful Care Giver, holds a coin of the Changebringer in shaking hands, vibrating with the sudden onslaught of stress and panic, the result of too many blessings shared, too many gifts of healing. Bell’s Hells is laid out by this Exaltant Fury, by this General who thinks of them as targets to exterminate.

She hovers above them, the psychic hum of her blades loud in this enclosed tunnel, an ambush predator preparing to strike.

Fresh Cut Grass sends a prayer to the Changebringer, to their Lady of the Open Road, to the Bringer of Luck, to She Who Makes the Path, not for clarity nor courage, but a certainty that the road might open to Bell’s Hells. They roll around Otohan, not seeking a path to flee, but simply enough room to do what must be done.

Their hand glows with divine light, brighter than any Exandrian day.

Thull’s eyes widen as the bolt shoots straight and true, not for her, but for an arcane core of glowing blue.

The last thing Fresh Cut Grass sees before light takes their vision is the faces of their dear friends.

They die with a smile.

Guiding Bolt: A flash of light streaks toward a creature of your choice within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 4d6 radiant damage, and the next attack roll made against this target before the end of your next turn has advantage, thanks to the mystical dim light glittering on the target until then.

Arcane Battery: An arcane battery is an artificially created energy source that draws from local leylines to power various magical effects. For this reason they are also sometimes called arcane accumulators. Many arcane batteries power automata, such as aeormatons and golems. In the Post-Divergence, arcane batteries are scavenged from ruins across Exandria.

When attacked, these batteries release copious amounts of spell energy into the surrounding space. Upon detonation, every creature within 30 feet takes 20d8 force damage, and any machinery surrounding the battery is irreparably destroyed.

I am alive.

I am alive for the first time.

And I am alive, not because I was made by D or Dancer or even the Changebringer.

I’m alive because they made me alive.

And it’s the connections that I made with all of them. And it’s a feeling of joy.

And I’m happy to do this, because they saved my life and I’ll save theirs.

[kyanitedragon]

Headcanon:

Ghouls are ambush (and occasionally persuit) predators

whereas humans are persistance predators.

Ghouls have enhanced strength and speed, so one-on-one a ghoul will always be able to outrun a human. But they have a limit for how much endurance they have. Thanks to their enhancements it's a larger limit than most persuit predator animals have, but it's a limit nonetheless.

A human could train to run a multi-mile marathon, but a ghoul biologically would never be able to do that without several interspersed rest periods.

[dinojagger12]

(11/15) Introducing Telucaron, the ambushing arthropod!

☆ Telucaron is the largest arthropod in Phaneria, dwelling in the murky waters of the southeastern swamps. An ambush predator, it lurks just beneath the water's surface, waiting for unsuspecting terrestrial prey to come by. It grabs hold of prey with its enourmous chelicerae, and will paralyze them with its stinger if the prey is struggling. While it is primarily aquatic, Telucaron is capable of hunting on land as well as in the water. It's 8 legs give it decent land mobility, although it can be easily outrun by a human. Tamed Telucaron are very efficient water mounts for traversing the swamps. ☆

the next post might have to be postponed a day since I'm on vacation rn and didn't get a chance to draw it beforehand. Sorry about that!

[kavalyera]

If you're still taking OC asks, may I get 5 and 18 for your evil doctor? <3

Haiiii yes the ask game is still active hehehe ^_^

5) Any animal(s) you most associate with your OC?

— Jaguars are apex predators that stalk their prey, and then ambush when it’s dark and alone. Dr. Kelley can indeed hunt in the more brutal way of the word, but she prefers discreet methods. While jaguars mostly hunt in a more easier manner like how Brianna drains blood from employees in the hospital—this doesn’t stop them from devouring larger prey. While Brianna can hunt in a more easier way, sometimes the inner beast claws at her desire. But still, she tries to keep it clean. It’s easy to kill, but it’s not easy to outrun the Camarilla after violating the masquerade unfortunately </3

18) What is your OC’s greatest fear?

— Brianna’s greatest fear is failing to uphold her own ideas. She’s strict when it comes to others and hates being hypocritical even with her really big ego. Brianna wants nothing more than be amazingly good at her job, and any form of failure is something she both dreads and despises in herself and in others around her like she absolutely HATES incompetence and when she finds herself being incompetent she’ll genuinely start tweaking out

oc ask game 🎀

[x-i-l-verify]

「 Dream SMP Daemon AU 」

  ⚝ PURPLED + XENAVI (TANZANIAN BLUE RINGLEG CENTIPEDE) ⚝

Tanzanian blue ringleg centipedes are an adaptable, widespread species of arthropod, having spread from their native Australia and Africa to Europe, the Americas, Asia, and several islands. They can thrive just about anywhere in any habitat, including urban ones. 

They will also feed on any available prey their size or smaller that they can catch, from other arthropods, invertebrates, amphibians, mammals, birds, and fish. Their venom is extremely potent and fast-acting, and they use their entire bodies to subdue their prey, coiling around them and using both their legs and forcipules to tear them apart. They are also not ambush predators, preferring to persistently outrun and overpower their prey. 

These centipedes are aggressive, active, defensive, always on the lookout for danger by sensing any nearby vibrations from their highly sensitive antennae, ready to strike at a moment’s notice if they feel threatened. In addition, they are solitary animals, and tend to avoid other centipedes, thriving the most when kept at low population densities. They are nomadic and non-territorial, but if they do meet conspecifics, they are liable to attack and kill them. 

Despite this, Tanzanian blue ringleg females make attentive and devoted parents; in fact, they are one of the only non-social arthropods to show dedicated parental care of their offspring. Females clean their eggs obsessively, which coats them in moisture and fungicides, and ferociously guard them and the newly hatched centipedes until they’re around 5cm in size and able to fend for themselves. While she is caring for her offspring, the female will refuse to feed, and this period of time can sometimes last for months.

Purpled is independent, straightforward, and combative, while Vi represents his dedicated, shrewd, cautious side.

~

NAME MEANING ”Xenavi”  is an amalgam of the Greek “xeno," meaning stranger or alien, and “violet," a shade of purple and a type of flower. The violet flower can symbolize honesty, protection, dreams, healing, remembrance, determination, and setting goals. A Haudenosaunee legend states that the violet is a child born of both sky and earth, and it is therefore considered to be a symbol of harmony, balance, and opportunity. 

~

SOURCES https://daemonpage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=24017

[featheredcritter]

how quick are borrowers? like, are they able to out run anything?

They can run well enough but, unlike humans who evolved to be able to run for a while and on great distances, borrowers evolved to be able to have big spurts of energy/ velocity that don't last a lot, they are ambush predators. Being an aboreal species and never having had the need to just, run to catch their food (and since they never lived into open places, when moving they just ran, hid and repeat to go from a place to another), they're not exactly built for running (but they are fantastic at climbing). They can and will run, but they will get tired fairly easily too, in general they probably can get tired fairly easy due of these spurts of energy they get and the fact that they lose it quick.

They can outrun things if they gotta, but they usually need to find a shelter soon because they can't run forever.

[fablecraftgame]

Seeing a house centipede is always an arresting moment - now imagine it was the size of a house and still skittered with an unnatural speed. 🐛🔜

Today’s creature feature is THE MEADOWPEDE! It is one of the scariest things you see in your bathroom at 3am, but now deadlier. Now, what does our lore have to say about it?

From a distance, these enormous, worm-like creatures blend in with the rolling hills of the grasslands. They scuttle across the plains at astonishing speeds, surprising their prey with a killer beam of celestial magic. Like many creatures of the Long Meadows, Meadowpedes are sustained by the magic of fallen star fragments as well as more traditional prey. They channel clouds of stardust toward a target to inhibit its ability to heal, so even if you somehow outrun this high speed beast, you may still find it difficult to survive.

You really don’t have to do too much to this one to scare your players! It is big and bad, blends into the hills around it, is super fast, and can shoot a laser beam from its mouth. It is the predator; you are the prey. A fight with this could be pretty epic, and, of course, there will always be a player who tries to ride it like the sandworms from Dune.

Note: Unlike our other features, you’ll need to grab the Brawler Collection to include this feisty friend in your campaigns! You can grab it from our marketplace or send your GM some funds to get this pack if you want a horror show to ambush you next session.

[4d-hypermoth]

Gen 1 Speed stats are so weird.

Victreebel, the ambush predator with no limbs, has 70 speed, putting it above Pokémon like Flareon (65), Sandslash (65), Machamp (55), and Marowak (45). None of which you would expect to be speed demons, mind you, but... y'know, they have legs.

Oh, but don't worry, the crab with a claw that weighs more than the rest of its body, Kingler, will easily outrun it (75).

Venusaur, a Pokémon that looks like an outdated depiction of a dinosaur that can barely support itself on land, has a Speed stat of 80. It can outrun Beedrill (75).

(And yes, Beedrill and Kingler are the same Speed)

And then there's just Tentacruel who has a blazing-fast 100 Speed for no discernable reason. Even Tentacool is fast (70), despite its Pokédex entry stating that it drifts aimlessly in the sea.

At least Slowbro (30) and Snorlax (30) understood the assignment.

[blow-my-mongrel-mind]

The WILDS Review

I heard about this game from alterhuman tumblr, and it's currently 50% off, so I thought why not try it out and make a review!

I started out as a wolf, because it's a classic. The game dropped me into a forest and basically set me loose, there isn't really a starting tutorial, just some basic gameplay tips. I felt like I lacked immediate direction and didn't know how to complete any self-imposed goals.

After running around for a bit, I found some animals to hunt. The animal behavior can be questionable, especially for a game that boasts being “The Most Realistic Animal Role-Playing Experience”. There isn't really a stalking/ambush mechanic, you basically just run at them and hope they can't outrun you, which most small game and deer can, so I either hunted rats, ate carcasses or got lucky and had my prey run into a wall and get stuck.

I also think it's weird that boar, deer, and moose run from a single wolf, when in real life they would most likely try to defend against them, especially when I ran into one with babies.

I do like the kill mechanic, when you catch a prey animal you get a small mini-game where you have to click at the right time to kill it. It was an interesting idea I haven't seen before.

To go back to the game's ambition of being realistic, I found it has some incorrect information. In the atlas, which I think is a really cool way to store info, it mentions packs/ranks however I feel that it paints with a broad brush that all animals fit into the alpha, beta, omega style of packs and that they maintain ranks with aggression and fighting. This has been disproven in wolves for decades(David Mech), and straight up doesn't align with other animals such as bears and foxes, who are mainly solitary animals. I also found 'marbled' foxes in the snowy part of the map instead of arctic foxes, which I found weird because marbled is a color pattern that exists only in captive(fur farmed) red foxes.

The customization for your animal is really nice, there are several subspecies variants that change your coat color, you can also choose your rank in the pack which I thought was a cool idea. You also have multiple traits that affect how fast you gain certain skills, which I really liked. The skill tree they're implementing in the future looks really interesting.

I found the game had quite an unpolished feel, even for an early access game. The only bug I ran into that impeded me was I couldn't get the 'bond' interaction to pop up when trying to find a mate. Other bugs included floating ducks, my camera clipping through the map, and my impeccable ability to climb straight up mountains.

The difficulty does feel unbalanced, I managed to win fights against a cougar and a brown bear as a solo wolf, but I didn't have enough stamina to catch deer. I also played as a deer and I felt too safe, I was hoping for an experience of having to stay alert to my surroundings and watch for predators, but I ran right up to a bear and ran away before it even got close to me. I very briefly tried out the raven too, and I have to say the flight feels great and is very fun.

Overall, I think this game is fun to mess around with for a few hours, especially with how cheap it is right now, and I feel it has a promising future if more development happens and the dev can take some feedback into consideration. As it stands currently, it lacks some substance and feels just a bit lackluster.

[voxsecundus]

love when people say they could just run away from crocodiles, like sure buddy outrun the ambush predator whose preferred method of land pursuit is charging leaps

graceful gallop

[safari56]

Zebras are generally faster than lions and can outrun them, especially over long distances. A zebra's speed and agility make it difficult for lions to catch them in a direct chase. Zebras use their speed as a primary defense mechanism against predators, relying on their ability to evade rather than confront them.

However, lions are also strategic hunters and often use teamwork and ambush tactics to increase their chances of catching prey, including zebras.

[voidingintotheshout]

A Review of The Stranger Things Videogame

I need to get this down before I forget it. I don’t really play video games but this is the one that I would really like to play if this is indeed a real game and not just something I dreamt.

So anyway you play as two of the kids from the Stranger Things universe. They all have basic D&D style stats. Like one of them is more clever one of them has more speed or stamina or whatever. None of them have enough speed or stamina to adequately fight the monster without some kind of help. So it takes place at their school at night while extracurricular activities are happening. It comes in a couple of stages but I only woke up during the first one.

So the first stage is that various spotlights are on in the school, and this indicates spots that the monster will appear later on and there are also clues at each of these spots. You need to go through the rooms at the school where the monster is lurking somewhere and turn off all the spotlights. The spotlights have a special kind of light that summons the monster, and the longer they’re on the more it is guaranteed that the monster will appear at one of these locations. You’re turning them off to stop the monster from appearing in this reality. It’s really creepy because the whole school is lit up with this back up lighting that makes everything dark and all of the corners extra shadowy. The other thing that’s nerve-wracking is that all of the other kids at the school are trying to steal the little bit of supplies that you have. You have a skateboard so you can get around really quickly, a baseball bat, and the clues themselves. Since all of these lights are casting energy that’s needed to manifest the monster, the lights that are on the longest (the ones you hit last) are far more likely to accumulate enough ambient energy to summon the monster. You know that eventually you will be outrunning a monster chasing you and trying to get you. That means that one of the players will need to be running interference while the other one tries to turn off all the lights that will stop the monster from permanently appearing in your universe.

So basically, every single time you go to a location and turn off the light, the odds go up that at the next one the monster may appear and attack. When it appears, you know ahead of time that you will be able to sprint away, but that the monster is a persistence predator, that will eventually catch up with you. To add to the intrigue, sometimes there are people that you will encounter at these locations (like someone who doesn’t like you who is rehearsing play or a teacher who might take your supplies if you’re misusing them) that will detain you, while they have to hash out some thing from your personal life, and it will be nigh on impossible for you to shake them.

It was a simple well-put-together video game that had a huge amount of ambience because it’s a game without a lot of dialogue. You don’t really see the monster all that much but you could be ambushed at any time and so you need to hurry before the monster can find you. Sometimes there are side quests like you get to a room and it has a spotlight on it but it’s locked so you need to go on a separate quest to go and get the key from whatever room it would be in. It seems like a really awesome game and I would definitely recommend playing it if in fact, it is real and not just something I dreamt about earlier. Would recommend.

[eighthdoctor]

back on my bullshit again in a new fandom: logical consequences of grimm responding to animal fears

(do they? don’t they? whatever, i don’t think the show has given us a good answer yet)

anyway so the thing: non-human animals feel...a lot of emotions. fear is one of the most fundamental, but anger is also in there. i’d expect to see grimm turn up for two main types of interactions: predation and intra-group conflict.

predation is what it sounds like: predators attacking (and kiling and eating) prey. intra-group conflict is when two or more members of the same social group get into a fight.

one at a time:

predation: the predator’s feelings can be pretty easily dispensed with, because they feel excited and focused and happy. not very grimm feelings at all. prey are much more likely to become a grimm target, as they feel afraid and sometimes angry.

a quick evolution recap for y’all: more animals are born than live to reproduce, but this isn’t random. which animals die young is, over large scales, determined by how well adapted they are to their environment--that is, how good they are at both getting food and not getting turned into food. animals which are better at eating and not getting eaten are more likely to have offspring in the future.

or, as the old joke goes: you don’t need to be faster than the bear. you need to be faster than your friend.

so in real life, a cheetah takes off after an antelope, and the following selection pressures are in play:

1. speed. being physically faster will be beneficial to both animals, so we have an arms race where cheetahs are getting faster and faster, and antelope are getting faster and faster, and some day we may hit a land speed record.

2. reaction time. the cheetah initiates this chase, but the antelope will zigzag, and so the closer the cheetah can stick to the antelope’s path--the faster it can respond to its moves--the more likely it will win. meanwhile, the sooner the antelope can react to the cheetah’s initial lunge, the more likely it will get away entirely.

3. stealth. this one goes entirely to the cheetah, and it’s not well suited for it. other cats get closer to their prey before lunging. cheetahs do get close, but they’re simply not built for the stalk (or temperamentally equipped for it either). but for a cheetah who can get that close, their odds of a kill go up.

4. observation. and this is the antelope’s equivalent. if it can spot the cheetah before the lunge, it’s actually very unlikely the cheetah will make a go for it at all.

for the most part, antelope are already at their observation maximum, and cheetah sacrifice stealth for a better reaction time (it has to do with twitchiness: if you’re very very twitchy, you’ll be fabulous at tag but horrible at hide and seek). mostly they’re being pitted in terms of speed and reaction time.

now add grimm.

i’m making the assumption that about half the time, the grimm will attack the predator, and half the time, they’ll attack the prey. (probably more like 1:1:1:1 where the last two options are “both” and “neither” but let’s not complicate this).

for the antelope, well. the antelope never cared very much about what the cheetah was there for. 

to zoom out from this particular example, prey animals have two major responses to predators: get away (run faster, hide better) or make the predator go away (horns, size, tough skin, poison, spikes...poison spikes...). some of these strategies will be more useful on grimm than others. grimm aren’t going to be intimidated unless the animal genuinely isn’t angry; grimm won’t necessarily be deterred by going down a burrow or changing skin color.

once a predator-prey duo has attracted grimm, the prey animal has two choices (they always do): fight or flight. they can either outrun the grimm (arguably only because the grimm will focus on the slower predator instead) or kill it.

in the case of the cheetah-antelope example, antelope are most likely to just get faster. grimm are just bigger, scarier cheetahs with better endurance to an antelope, so the antelope population will undergo selection for faster, stronger antelope.

cheetah are similar, actually: when it comes to conflicts with other large predators, cheetah rarely take it to a fight. they’ll walk away from their own kills if another predator turns up because they’re not at all built for physical contact. so in remnant, we’re looking at super fast cheetah and antelope.

however, there are other outcomes.

first, predators are much less likely to develop for pursuit over ambush in the first place. an ambush will very quickly resolve into a kill or the predator walking away to try again later. there will be fear, but it’ll be intense and quickly gone. pursuit predators take minutes to hours (to days) to wear down their prey and catch them, which is much more time for grimm to turn up. so wolves, who are quite happy to chase large prey for miles on end, are going to need to adapt to smaller prey who can be caught faster.

second, prey which have always been more inclined to fight than flee are going to face more intense pressure to be lethal. you don’t need to kill the tiger to get it to give up, but you do need to kill the grimm. so animals like elephants can’t just be big. once a mamma elephant gets scared for her calf, she has to be willing and able to kill about it. (in real life they start and often end with display charges. around grimm? probably not so much)

in comparison to real life, where we do have some generalist prey animals, remnant equivalents are going to be much more extreme. bison often run from wolves as a first response but stand their ground once chosen as the victim; in remnant this sort of mass herd panic would attract grimm pretty quickly. it’d be a much better strategy for bison to stand their ground from the get-go and consistently attack back.

as @mylordshesacactus just argued to me, there also won’t be any large herds. it’s very, very easy to start a panic in massed groups. much harder when there’s only 4 or 5 of you. so that’s interspecific conflict. what about conspecific conflict?

well, unlike with predation, you don’t need to fight members of your same species to survive. [citation needed] most fights between animals of the same species are over a resource, such as food, sleeping spaces--or sex.

i’m going to set aside squabbling over food. nobody wants to get killed for a haunch of meat, so predators have worked out ways to share a kill or scare off others without major conflict (or fear).

instead let’s talk sex.

in species where sex leads to conflicts (some species are monogamous, and others do flybys where no one gets too worked up), you’ve got two major strategies: male competition and female choice.

female choice is where males compete for the attention & sexual availability of a female. males don’t directly interact, and may have things arranged so they’re spread out over a small (or large) area. instead females move around until they find the male who suits their interests. this is particularly common in birds, where males compete to grow the flashiest tail or sing the prettiest song. then they pair off, boink, and incubate eggs.

this isn’t particularly full of negative emotions (it’s...hard to figure out what jealousy looks like in order to study it, so mostly what you’ll see is some amount of frustration) so not terribly interesting to grimm.

male competition is full of anger though.

in ungulates (hoofed animals), males butt heads, kick, bite, bang necks together, and otherwise have a huge fuss over who can assemble the largest harem. these conflicts are painful and violent. watch any david attenborough documentary for examples. while long term, these behaviors are motivated by the eventual access to sex, in the short term, they are driven entirely by emotions.

so we’ve got a herd of horses. (say a small herd, accounting for the first half of this.) there’s one dominant stallion, and a handful of satellite bachelors (zero to four depending on number of mature mares). when the mares come into heat, the dominant stallion is going to spend a lot of time a) stressing about the bachelors or b) running them off. meanwhile the bachelors are going to spend a lot of time a) stressing about the stallion and b) trying to fight him off.

(the mares won’t be too fussed by any of this.)

the longer this goes on, the more likely grimm are to show up.

here’s the problem for the males: it’s to everyone’s advantage for male-male competition to not be deadly. even the top male isn’t going to be top forever, and he’d rather not get killed off on his way out, because if he gets killed off, there goes any chance of sneakily reproducing later. so fights are DRAMATIC, they are HIGH OCTANE, and they very rarely escalate to physical contact. when they do, they even more rarely lead to death.

so while at the same time males need to remain non-lethal against other males, they need to escalate to lethal behavior very quickly when grimm show up. this is a tricky balance to hold when you’re worked up.

now, i admit that grimm are less interested in non-human animal emotions than they are in human/faunus emotions, and that some of these encounters are so brief that the grimm won’t arrive before they’re over. but evolution is a gambling game. it’s about many, many small transactions over years, and so it matters greatly whenever anything slightly increases the risk of a certain behavior.

if male-male competition is slightly more risky, then either a) males need to be better at killing grimm, but not to the point where they’re killing other males or b) there needs to be less anger involved.

it’s very very tricky, speaking as an animal trainer, to retain a behavior while neutralizing the emotion behind it. possible! but tricky. even trickier when there’s no trainer involved. it’s not enough for the fights to become less dangerous, because the grimm care about emotions. the conflicts need to be less intense, and that’s hard.

so instead of less intense conflicts, pivot to more readily lethal horses. (ouch) (sidenote: increasing traits in one sex will often lead to similar changes in the other, especially in species where males and females are largely the same. and it’s not like mares aren’t already interested in kicking the living daylights out of anything that displeases them...)

remnant horses, and many other ungulates, would be more prone to fighting over flight, because that’s a necessary trait during mate competition. since it’s very hard to shift strategies mid-go, males who are already fighting (non-lethally) can more easily turn to killing grimm than running away from them.

so what we’re looking at here is a world where social species live in smaller groups, where fights are more readily lethal but also easier to diffuse, and where predators trend towards patient stalks and short, fast kills.

and that’s without getting into the implications for farming and domesticated animals...

[ladyverdance]

Pursuit Predator

Pursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. It is an alternate predation strategy to ambush predation — pursuit predators rely on superior speed, endurance and/or teamwork to seize the prey. While the two patterns of predation are not mutually exclusive, morphological differences in an organism's body plan can create an evolutionary bias favoring either type of predation.

Pursuit predation is typically observed in carnivorous species within the kingdom Animalia, such as cheetahs, lions, wolves and early Homo species. The chase can be initiated either by the predator, or by the prey if it is alerted to a predator's presence and attempt to flee before the predator gets close. The chase ends either when the predator successfully catches up and tackles the prey, or when the predator abandons the attempt after the prey outruns it and escapes.

One particular form of pursuit predation is persistence hunting, where the predator stalks the prey slowly but persistently to wear it down physically with fatigue or overheating; some animals are examples of both types of pursuit.

Some Examples – Rushing the monster in S3.E4 "Beauty and the Beasts" and then persistently tracking him over a long distance until he was forced to flee and hide. – Hunting Ethan Rayne in S3.E6 "Band Candy" by pursuing him until he was forced to hide, and then stalking him to location. Then using heightened senses to find him. – Chasing down vampires over a long distance to tackle and then kill them in S5E1 "Buffy vs. Dracula".

Ambush Predator

Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey using sheer speed or endurance, ambush predators avoid fatigue by staying in concealment, waiting patiently for the prey to get near, before launching a sudden overwhelming attack that quickly incapacitates and captures the prey.

The ambush is often opportunistic, and may be set by hiding in a burrow, by camouflage, by aggressive mimicry, or by the use of a trap (e.g. a web). The predator then uses a combination of senses to detect and assess the prey, and to time the strike.

Ambush predators usually remain motionless (sometimes hidden) and wait for prey to come within ambush distance before pouncing. Ambush predators are often camouflaged, and may be solitary. Pursuit predation becomes a better strategy than ambush predation when the predator is faster than the prey. Ambush predators use many intermediate strategies. For example, when a pursuit predator is faster than its prey over a short distance, but not in a long chase, then either stalking or ambush becomes necessary as part of the strategy.

Some Examples – Sneaking into the Bronze and then ambushing the vampires there in S1.E2 "The Harvest". – Sneak attacking the hyenas in S1.E6 "The Pack", before luring them into a trap. - Waiting on gravestones and in graveyards to ambush vampires through stealth or trap or surprise, as in S2.E2 "Some Assembly Required". – Sneak attacking a vampire and then pouncing on it in S4.E5 "Beer Bad". – Luring a vampire to a remote location and then attacking it once it was vulnerable and alone in S4.E6 "Wild at Heart". – Ambushing a vampire by sneaking up on it in S4.E8 "Pangs". – Hiding in S4.E13 "The I in Team" until the soldiers approached, then sneak attacking one and ambushing the rest in an overwhelming assault. – Hunting vampires in S5.E4 "Out of My Mind" through rapid approach and overwhelming assault.

And, of course, using her superior instincts and reflexes throughout the show to sense, hunt, track, pursue, and kill creatures of all kinds.

"Moonlight illuminates the creature. It's Buffy."

Buffy Summers as a Pursuit and Ambush Predator ↳ "From now on we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them and cut out their hearts one by one."

[evolutionsvoid]

The arctic lands are already ruthless places, where the cold is unyielding and the wind chills you to the very core. The ice shows no mercy, and the earth offers little for shelter and food. Those who live in these frozen regions are hardened by the elements, as one must be strong to survive the brutal winters. Many beasts exemplify this harsh icy place, but the one that will always come to mind when I think of them is the Barbaratus. It is hard to not think of them, as their booming calls echo across the jagged glaciers, and the bloody remains of their kills splatter the pristine snow. They stalk within the curtains of snow, and strike with the savagery of a winter storm. The Barbaratus is a species of large flightless bird that lives in the northern regions of the world. Be it tundra, frozen forest or the icy coast, they will be there on their never-ending hunt for food. Like Cockatrices, their wings have been reduced to simple arms, having no way to lift their bulky bodies. Since they do not fly, then they are not hampered by its restrictions. Their bodies have grown large and heavy, their bones reinforced and tough. Their hind legs are packed with muscle, allowing them to charge across the land like a speeding carriage. Upon these powerful limbs are monstrous talons that can slice through skin and blubber with ease. Their beaks are massive and are strong as steel, giving them a bite that can crush bone. Plenty of feathers and thick down give them the warmth and protection they need from the brutal elements. All of this makes for an incredible predator that haunts these snowy places, one you never want to meet! While some of these beasts may travel alone, they tend to move in small flocks, with four being the max. These numbers give them an advantage over attackers, and make it easier for them to corner prey. In a land that gives no guarantee for food or shelter, they must be ready to bring down whatever they meet.   With such a hefty size and powerful weaponry, it should be obvious how these beasts hunt. They spot prey with their sharp eyes and run them down with their impressive speed. All they need is to hook their victim with their beak, and the fight is pretty much over. The beak is serrated and has a wicked point, once it sinks in it is painful to remove. This will slow prey and allow the Barbaratus to use its thick neck muscles to pull them off their feet. If the snared prey is small, the Barbaratus will grab its head in its mouth and crush their skull. If they are larger, they will reposition their beak so that it wraps around their spine. A savage bite will break their victim's neck or back and leave them paralyzed. From there, they can feast, ripping into flesh with their beaks and talons. Those that travel in flocks tend to target larger prey, as they need more to go around. Those who hunt solo will go after smaller stuff, which means animals that are smaller than human-sized. Even then, they will certainly take on anything they think they have a chance against, be it man or beast. These single birds may also switch up their tactics and try an ambush approach. If they find burrows or breathing holes, they will stand in wait. When a seal or other aquatic creature comes up for a breath, they will snap forward with their maw. The hooked beak will sink in, and the bird will fight to pull their prey out of the water. To get an idea how strong these creatures are, they can totally yank a full-grown seal out from the ice, practically slamming them to the ground. Can you do that with your mouth? Probably not. An interesting thing to note about the Barbaratus is the rumor that they use sound to help hunt their prey. This is said because the call of these birds is extremely loud. The sound of a calving glacier is almost comparable. Ice-shattering shrieks and booming caws are emitted from their powerful vocal chords. No doubt this is to help others of their kind hear each other's calls over the howling wind. Stand next to one while it lets out a deep bellow, and you may think it is trying blast you off your feet instead! While it still hasn't been settled that these beasts can do real physical damage with these calls, it is certainly believed that it can help with disorienting prey or driving them into making a mistake. As they give chase, an ear-splitting shriek can certainly throw someone off, which could be enough for the birds to overtake them. Some say that these calls can break ice and are used to blast seals out of the water. These folk are what we call "idiots," because that is certainly not true. They might be mistaking this ability for the strength of their pecks and kicks, because those are where the real walloping is at! A jab from their beak can easily cut you down to the bone, and a quick kick can disembowel you or crush your ribcage. All in all, not the kind of beast you want to fight hand-to-hand. Just ask the locals of these regions and they will tell you what devils these things can be.

  As a powerful predator that is always searching for a meal, the Barbarati are a never ending problem for those who live in this frozen worlds. Their sharp eyesight and decent sense of smell means that they are good at picking up trails that lead to food, even if they go straight into a hunting camp or settlement. Add to that the fact that these vicious creatures are quite smart, and you got a beast that will find some way to rob you of your kill or life. Hunters from these locales are trained in speedy field dressing and covering their tracks, as they want to be gone before a nearby Barbaratus is lured in by the blood. Villages and settlements must be careful when storing food and butchering their meat, as these birds will try to sneak in for a bite. Even if a freshly butchered seal isn't around, these beasts may decide to pick off an unwary wanderer or nab a tied up sled dog. Some may think that watchful eyes are all it takes to ward them off, but this isn't enough. Some are smart enough to set up traps or fake out watchers so another flock member can swoop in for the kill. I have heard of one famous Barbaratus that was known for setting up false attacks on villages, just so they could charge in and grab hold of a victim during the chaos. With this, vigilance is crucial for the folk who live here, and they are well-trained in picking up signs of nearby Barbarati. Be it out of necessity or self-defense, these birds can be killed and their bodies used. The meat is an obvious choice, but their plumage can be just as useful. Their thick down is great for coats, and the feathers serve for warmth and decoration. The talons are obviously excellent weapons, with the largest ones bring perfect daggers on their own! The terror these birds bring have caused them to be immortalized in paintings and carvings, acting as the vengeful claws of the unforgiving winters. I must admit that these creatures have certainly left an impression on me. In fact, this species defined an entire expedition! It was one of those times that I had packed up provisions for a month, bundled myself up and voluntarily had myself dumped in the middle of a wild, frozen tundra. I had locals drop me off in a place where I had access to pine forests, open tundra and an icy sea, all I had to do was walk! It was my hope to have a chance to explore each of these ecosystems for a week, and get a feel of what I wanted to focus my studies on. The possibilities were many and thrilling! It was on my fourth day when I caught sight of a pair of Barbarati, their hunched forms stalking the icy land for prey. Excited to watch them, I moved towards the perfect spot so I could study their hunting behavior. Unfortunately, these creatures had keen eyes, and their heads whipped in my direction as I fumbled with my gear. Their path quickly turned towards me, but I was not worried. As a dryad, my plant nature made me unpalatable to these carnivorous birds. My coloration did not fit in such a place, which would confuse them, and I did not give off any meaty odors that they would be looking for. Like how many dryads do, I just had to stay still and blend in with the scenery. As they continued to stalk forward, closing the far distance we once had between us, one of them started to let out a deep coughing sound. I recognized it from my readings as a sound of hunting. They would give these throaty calls as a signal to their fellow hunters and to terrorize their target into making a panicked mistake. Amazing as it was to hear it echo across the land, I was confused on why they were acting like this. I am a plant, and they don't like plants! It was in that moment that I looked down and finally registered that I was covered cap to root in animal furs. And that was when I ran. After talking about their speed and their ability to chase down fleeing prey, you would think it stupid for me to run. It certainly was, but it was still a smarter thing to do then stay in place and let them tear me to shreds. I booked it to the edge of a pine forest, as the open tundra offered no protection. It would maybe slow them down or give me a chance to lose them, if I even made it that far. The second I started running, one let out a booming scream and the two gave chase. Sometimes I can close my eyes and feel the vibrations that came from their pounding feet, shaking the ground as they launched themselves at me. It was terrifying. I had a head start, but that gave me mere seconds. Fit as I am, I am not capable of outrunning a skilled predator like them. They were gaining fast, and I knew they would catch me before I hit the tree line. There was the thought that they would lose interest in me once they found out I was made of vegetables and not meat, but this realization would only come after they crushed my head in their beak. So that was off the table. Instead, I started ripping gear and parts that hung off my pack and blindly flung them behind me. The rain of objects slowed them, either due to curiosity or fear that this was some kind of attack. It succeeded in buying me time, but it certainly wasn't enough for me to lose them in the forest. My best chance lay in a tree that stood in my path. Scraggly bark and low hanging branches gave me hope in scaling it, but I had to do it fast. That meant ditching my backpack, which was an easier action than I had suspected. As I was getting my arms out of the straps, the whole thing was ripped backwards, nearly pulling me with it! One of the Barbaratus had sunk their beak into it, which no doubt saved my life! The two thought they had a meal pinned down, and only realized it was a fleshless sac until I was halfway up the tree! I scurried to a high branch as they leaped at me. Their beaks snapped and tore at the air, but these beasts were not arboreal. They could not reach me, and I was safe. This fact did not register for me for a couple minutes, as I remained clinging to that branch in pure fear. They made some attempts to reach me, but soon realized I was no longer on the menu. Frustrated, they turned to my pack and tore that up in search of anything to eat. My jerkies and rations proved to be a substantial substitute, and they greedily devoured my provisions. After a few more thrashings of my shredded belongings, they turned away and disappeared into the wilderness. They were at last gone. I remained in that tree for two more hours, terrified of it being a ruse. At last, I convinced myself that the coast was clear and I hesitantly scrambled back down. I was so relieved to be free of that nightmare, until I looked at my destroyed pack and realized what it meant. My provisions were gone, my equipment was mangled and any extra clothing and supplies I had were torn beyond repair. Save for a tent and a few pieces of gear I left at base camp, I had nothing. It was then I knew that I hadn't fully avoided death. My pick up wasn't for weeks from now, and I had very little supplies. Starving or freezing to death was still an option, and they were quite possible. I can't tell you the range of emotions I went through when I thought of my situation. It still frightens me to this day. It was only when I remembered that a Conifer settlement was located deep in these woods that a sliver of hope appeared. It was certainly going to be a trek to reach them, and I had little left to make such a trip. I had no choice, though, and I started my long slog. Thankfully, my strength and spirits helped me make it to their camp, where I kindly begged for help. The Conifers listened to my situation and talked amongst themselves. After reaching a decision, they came to me and threw me out of their camp. I was deemed a burden, and they had no obligation to help me. Seeing that this option was a failure, I knew I had to come up with a different plan to survive. With this in mind, I instead broke down and cried. It was not a shining moment for me, but what else could I do? I just lay in the snow bank they dumped me in and bawled my eyes out. I was certain I was done for, as I had no idea how I would make do for these next few weeks. As fate would have it, this emotional moment wound up being my miraculous plan B. One of the Conifers of the settlement was watching me and took pity on my pathetic self. She strode over and pulled me from that snowy bed, much to my surprise. With me slung in her arms like a load of lumber, she went to the village elders and informed them that she was "adopting" me. With no sapling of her own, and no others to take care of, she agreed to share her portion of food and resources with me. Since all my costs would come from her pockets and not the village's, they finally agreed to let her keep me. From then on, I was glued to her side. "Adopting" me turned out to be a fitting term, as I was pretty much a sapling compared to them. I had none of the strength and hunting prowess for me to compete with them. Most of the meals I ate were shot with her bow, and the furs she gained were used to bundle me up. She even stepped in when other Conifers tried to give me guff, and she shut down any who thought to mess with me. My savior wound up turning the opinions of the whole settlement. After a week, the others seemed to warm up to me, and some even helped teach me some skills. The saplings were absolutely mystified with me and my diminutive appearance (they were mere years old and nearly my height!). When I started telling them tales of my travels and studies, I became their favorite source of entertainment. Their love of my stories actually gave me some respect from the elders, as they couldn't ignore the stranger the young ones approved of. It didn't give me full sway, but it at least cut down on the amount of glares I got when they walked by me. By the time my rendezvous arrived, I was doing alright by the Conifers. Some even seemed sad to see me go! I know the saplings were heartbroken to see their storyteller wave goodbye, even when I promised to return. When I made my trip to reach the rendezvous, I didn't do it alone. My adoptive "mother" came with me to see me off, so that she could guarantee my safety and to ensure I actually got home. It was when we stood there in the snow, waiting for the sled team to pick me up, that I finally asked her what had been on my mind the whole time. I never had the courage to ask before, especially since I was terrified she would change her mind and ditch me. Now was the last chance I had to ask (as far as I knew, at the time), so I went for it: "Why did you save me?" "We lose much to the cruel winter, but we must never abandon our compassion." That was her answer, and that is what I will always remember. I could see that these words meant a lot to her, so I made sure to give them respect. Thank you, Thuja, for all that you have given me and taught me. I am always delighted when I get a chance to see you and your village again, and I hope I can see you a hundred times more. You were the kindest mother any sapling could ask for, and I am honored you chose me. ...Oh right, the Barbaratus. Yeah, I hate those things. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian     -------------------------------------------------------- I said it many times and I will say it again, I hate making birds. And I also hate how good this turned out. Curse you! Also I imagine if this thing had a scientific name it would be Barbatus glacies. I was thinking of mentioning it in the entry, but then realized if I gave one creature a scientific name, then I would have to do it for all of them. Not enough time in the world!