(Lynne, Kelly.)
Crocodiles are appreciated for their self preservation capacity and for their apex predator position. However, hundreds of people are killed every year as a result of their encounter with the beasts. In order to control the problem, people resorted to having crocodiles removed from human-inhabited areas. In spite of the fact that the situation ameliorated as a result of crocodiles being removed, people are still easy victims for stealthy crocodiles. (Lynne, Kelly.)
The Australian government is determined to put an end to crocodile attacks. Considering the fact that tens of thousands of crocodiles are found on the continent, people believe that it is virtually unavoidable for others to fall victims to crocodiles. (Lynne, Kelly.)
While it is generally believed that only carnivores can be apex predators, omnivores can also be true killers. Brown bears, for example, have no natural enemy within the ecosystems that they reside in, and, can also feast on things other than meat. However, the general apex predator is man, as people can be considered to be on the top of the food chain. There are basically no predators that hunt and murder humans habitually, in order to feed on them.
The main reason for humans acting like predators is their need for food, as people are accustomed to kill and eat animals from the early ages. Also, people often eliminate other apex predators because they are competing with them. Numerous carnivores have been killed by man so that they would not kill livestock, which is basically one of humanity's main animal protein sources.
Man is a superior predator due to the numerous abilities which help him in oppressing other species. Humans have provoked irreparable damage to various ecosystems by getting involved and decimating the numbers of apex predators. Such actions lead to a booming increase in other animals,...
Most probably, there is not a single animal species on earth that had not been preyed on by man. (Prugh, R. Laura, and Stoner, J. Chantal, and Epps, W. Clinton, and Bean, T. William, and Ripple, J. William, and Laliberte, S. Andrea, and Brashares, S. Justin)
The downside of man being a general apex predator is that the people population cannot be controlled, and, thus, their number experiences a constant increase. In spite of the fact that incidents such as earthquakes and diseases have severely affected people over time, they managed to recuperate quickly and to increase their numbers even more rapidly.
Apex predators generally have the purpose to control the population of other species. Humans have been the cause to the extinction of a great number of species due to their rapid expansion. The recent events have proved that the only species being able to control the population of humans and of other species are humans themselves, most probably because of logic.
All in all ecosystems consist of predators and their prey, and, the unbalance of either of the groups influences the other. Leaving humans aside due to their obvious superiority, predators such as wolves and crocodiles successfully accomplish their role in nature.
Works cited:
1. Lynne, Kelly. Crocodile: evolution's greatest survivor. Allen & Unwin, 2006.
2. Prugh, R. Laura, and Stoner, J. Chantal, and Epps, W. Clinton, and Bean, T. William, and Ripple, J. William, and Laliberte, S. Andrea, and Brashares, S. Justin. "The Rise of the Mesopredator." Bioscience Vol. 59, No. 9.
3. Whyte Macdonald, David Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio. The biology and conservation of wild canids. Oxford University Press, 2004.
4. "Wolf Management Strategies." Wisconsin Departament of Natural Resources. 25 Nov. 2009
