Humanity has a long history of working together to hunt large prey. As evidence, see the extinction rates of large animals after people first arrive in a new locale.

Now scientists have a clearer view of our predatory role, across a number of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. And the picture is not a pretty one—we have some bad hunting habits.   

Researchers surveyed 2,125 species of predators on land and in the water. And they compared the behavior of nonhuman predators to humans in those ecosystems.

Perhaps not surprisingly, humans prey on important large carnivores at a dramatically higher rate than other predators do. The biggest difference, however, comes in which members of the population we cull.

Typical predators might kill the young or the infirm. Humans, both on land and particularly in the water, claim a disproportionate number of mature healthy adults of reproductive age.

This practice has dramatic consequences. Removing reproductive adults, especially for species that mature slowly, can do long-term damage to the entire population. The authors thus call humans “super-predators.” Their report is in the journal Science. [Chris T. Darimon et al, The unique ecology of human predators]

They write that options to encourage more sustainable exploitation could include reducing the take—but also mimicking other predators and leaving full-grown adults alone to continue repopulating their habitats.

—Cynthia Graber

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]