ambush predator

English

Noun

ambush predator (plural ambush predators)

1. (biology, ethology) A carnivorous animal that prefers to capture or trap prey by stealth or strategy, rather than by speed or strength.
   • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 89:

     For 10 million years after they arrived in Europe, despite the great numbers of small rodents present, cats showed no sign of prospering, let alone attaining the dominance among ambush predators they have today.

Synonyms

• sit-and-wait predator

Coordinate terms

• pursuit predator