10 Deadly Species Form Hunting Gangs to Raise Kill Rates and Bring Down Larger Prey
Updated
Updated · BBC Discover Wildlife · Jun 21
10 Deadly Species Form Hunting Gangs to Raise Kill Rates and Bring Down Larger Prey
1 articles · Updated · BBC Discover Wildlife · Jun 21
Summary
Grey wolves, Harris’s hawks, sailfish and orcas are among 10 species highlighted for coordinated hunting that lets groups isolate, exhaust or stun prey more effectively than solo predators.
Pack tactics vary by species: wolves work in family groups of up to 12, hawks hunt in teams of up to six, and sailfish herd shoals before taking turns slashing with their bills.
The gains can be stark. Six Harris’s hawks caught twice as many rabbits as groups of four, while African wild dogs in packs of 10–20 can top 70% hunting success.
Some hunters rely on overwhelming numbers or unusual coordination—driver ant colonies can exceed 1 million workers, social spiders swarm prey in giant communal webs, and more than 100 Volta’s electric eels may attack together.
The survey shows cooperative predation spans microbes to mammals, with group living also helping species share energy costs, guard young or pass down specialized hunting tactics.