Food Chain

[Mystic]

Out of curiosity, who, or which animal is at the very top of the food chain (because it certainly isn't us as much as omnivores would like to think so)...My understanding is that there are different dimensions, for example sharks rule the ocean and could not fend for themselves on land - but who is really the strongest species?

[tails4wagging]

Animals who prey on humans, I suppose ie, Lions, Tigers and crocs, etc. They themselves do not have preditors in the natural sense apart from the 'morons' who shoot and kill them .

[JasperKat]

Personally, I think an ostrich could take just about anyone. Those things are huge and they do not mess around! :D
-JK

[eve]

I thought thaat the strongest species is the elephant, a herbivore.

[mike]

There are two questions here.
1. What species is at the top of the food chain?
2. What species is the "strongest"?

As for the first, there really isn't a perfect answer. But I'm not sure why you're so quick to say "It sure isn't us..." Why not? There are some animals that *occasionally* eat humans as pointed out above such as lions, etc. but humans definitely do not make up a regular part of any animal's diet. On the other hand, humans regularly eat loads of animals/vegetables/etc.

As for the second, the strongest species is clearly us. Do you have any doubt whatsoever that humans could eradicate any animal we wanted to? For that matter, we could more or less destroy the planet if we wanted to. No other species on earth even begins to approach what we can do.

[eve]

I'd like to see you stand up to an elephant!

Your final sentence shows that you have a third question - which species is the most destructive? :D