Prey and Predators | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/prey-and-predators/RSS feed for Prey and PredatorsenFri, 14 Aug 2026 11:05:54 +0000Lions, Lions and Lions, Oh My! 15 Photos of the Most Majestic Big Cats Found Throughout Africahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lions-lions-and-lions-oh-my-15-photos-of-the-most-majestic-big-cats-found-throughout-africa-180989333/Ranging from cubs to adults, this selection of shots from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest showcases the apex predator of the savannaFri, 14 Aug 2026 11:05:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lions-lions-and-lions-oh-my-15-photos-of-the-most-majestic-big-cats-found-throughout-africa-180989333/Pumas Might Be Making Your Drive Home Safer. When the Predators Are Around, Deer Tend to Avoid Roads, Preventing Some Collisionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pumas-might-be-making-your-drive-home-safer-when-the-predators-are-around-deer-tend-to-avoid-roads-preventing-some-collisions-180989314/In Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the wild cats’ presence corresponded with a 67 percent drop in the likelihood of a deer-vehicle crash and a 76 percent overall decline in the number of wrecks during a five-year period, according to a new studyWed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pumas-might-be-making-your-drive-home-safer-when-the-predators-are-around-deer-tend-to-avoid-roads-preventing-some-collisions-180989314/Yellowstone Is Among the World's Best Places to See Wild Wolves. Here's the Story of the Animal Called Both 'Public Enemy' and Cultural Iconhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/yellowstone-is-among-the-worlds-best-places-to-see-wild-wolves-heres-the-story-of-the-animal-simultaneously-dubbed-public-enemy-and-cultural-icon-180989194/A century ago, resident wolves were eliminated from the park. In 1995, biologists brought them back, marking a historic reintroduction of a top carnivoreFri, 31 Jul 2026 22:33:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/yellowstone-is-among-the-worlds-best-places-to-see-wild-wolves-heres-the-story-of-the-animal-simultaneously-dubbed-public-enemy-and-cultural-icon-180989194/Rare Fossil Reveals a Three-Tier Food Chain Frozen in Time: a Pterosaur Eaten by an Ichthyosaur Eaten by a Pliosaurhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-fossil-reveals-a-three-tier-food-chain-frozen-in-time-a-pterosaur-eaten-by-an-ichthyosaur-eaten-by-a-pliosaur-180989243/Uncovered in part by amateur fossil hunters in Australia, the fossil preserves a unique look at prehistoric predatory dynamicsFri, 31 Jul 2026 18:40:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-fossil-reveals-a-three-tier-food-chain-frozen-in-time-a-pterosaur-eaten-by-an-ichthyosaur-eaten-by-a-pliosaur-180989243/Predatory Sharks Grew to Enormous Sizes in Prehistoric Times. These Five Strategies Helped Them Get So Bighttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/predatory-sharks-grew-to-enormous-sizes-in-prehistoric-times-these-five-strategies-helped-them-get-so-big-180989199/By cannibalizing their siblings in the womb or avoiding meat-eating pliosaurs, fearsome carnivores like the megalodon ballooned to proportions that would dwarf any shark alive todayMon, 27 Jul 2026 18:22:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/predatory-sharks-grew-to-enormous-sizes-in-prehistoric-times-these-five-strategies-helped-them-get-so-big-180989199/After Decades of Debate, Scientists Say These Fossils Belong to the Largest Known Scorpion, Which Lived 415 Million Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-debate-scientists-say-these-fossils-belong-to-the-largest-known-scorpion-which-lived-415-million-years-ago-180989022/Researchers have wondered whether Praearcturus gigas was a giant crustacean called an isopod or some other creature. A new analysis of museum specimens suggests that it was a scorpion that stretched more than three feet longWed, 01 Jul 2026 18:55:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-debate-scientists-say-these-fossils-belong-to-the-largest-known-scorpion-which-lived-415-million-years-ago-180989022/