Types of Predators

When large predators, such as lions or wolves, are removed from a food web, smaller
“mesopredators” step in to take their places, and the results may be severe. Mesopredators
are usually smaller and more numerous than the larger “apex” predators that they replace.
Some are also omnivores, eating plant and animal food sources, rather than eating the
meat-only diet of the largest predators. Examples of mesopredators include coyotes,
raccoons, and skunks.

In 1874, General George Custer noted that there was an abundance of wolves, but few
coyotes, in South Dakota. Today, there is an abundance of coyotes, but no wolves. The
wolves were removed to protect domestic sheep, but now the coyotes are often responsible
for attacking sheep and other animals. The cost of controlling mesopredators by human
intervention can be very high, as mesopredators are very numerous and quickly “bounce
back” after control efforts. Meanwhile, the number of apex predators that are endangered
continues to increase.

-- Describe how the wolf population is controlled naturally in the environment without human
intervention.
-- State how the mesopredator population was most likely controlled before the wolves were removed
from the food web.
-- If apex predators are so valuable to the ecological balance, state one possible reason why wolves were
removed from the food web.