Pursuit predation

Pursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators give chase to fleeing prey. The chase can be initiated either by the predator or by the prey, should the prey be alerted to a predator's presence and attempt to flee before the predator gives chase. The chase ends with either the predator capturing and consuming the prey, effectively diminishing the prey's fitness, or with the prey escaping the predator's hunt, thus maintaining the prey's overall fitness, but leaving both prey and predator with metabolic losses. Pursuit predation is typically observed in carnivorous species within the kingdom Animalia, with some iconic examples being cheetahs, lions, and wolves.

Pursuit predation is an alternate predation strategy to ambush predation. While pursuit predators use a detection and pursuit phase in order to obtain prey, ambush predators use stealth to capture prey. Strength and speed are important to pursuit predators, whereas ambush predators ignore these in favor of surprise from a typically concealed location. While the two patterns of predation are not mutually exclusive, morphological differences in body plan can create a bias in an organism towards each type of predation.

There is still uncertainty as to whether predators behave with a general tactic or strategy while preying. However, among pursuit predators, there are several common behaviors. Often, predators will scout potential prey, assessing prey quantity and density prior to engaging in a pursuit. Certain predators choose to pursue prey primarily in a group of conspecifics; such animals are known as pack hunters or group pursuers. Other species choose to hunt alone. These two behaviors are typically due to differences in hunting success, where some groups are very successful in groups and others are more successful alone. Pursuit predators may also choose to either exhaust their metabolic resources rapidly or pace themselves during a chase. This choice can influenced by prey species, seasonal settings, or temporal settings. Predators that rapidly exhaust their metabolic resources during a chase tend to first stalk their prey, slowly approaching their prey to decrease chase distance and time. When the predator is at a closer distance (one that would lead to easier prey capture), it finally gives chase. Pacing pursuit is more commonly seen in group pursuit, as individual animals do not need to exert as much energy to capture prey. However, this type of pursuit requires group coordination, which may have varying degrees of success. Since groups can engage in longer chases, they often focus on separating a weaker or slower prey item during pursuit. Morphologically speaking, while ambush predation requires stealth, pursuit predation requires speed; pursuit predators are proportionally long-limbed and equipped with cursorial adaptations. Current theories suggest that this proportionally long-limbed approach to body plan was an evolutionary countermeasure to prey adaptation.

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