If humans had predators, what form would a successful predator take in todays society?

Question

I'm interested in particular attributes like size, tactics to lure prey, biological attack, adaptive to environmental factors, natural balance with human societies etc.

Answer 1

An IRS tax collections agent?

Seriously, a successful predator, not parasite, of humans would be capable of producing severe psychological fear and impervious to weapons. Most likely an alien or a creature from another dimension, large enough to feed on humans and plentiful as well. It would have to adapt to our planet's conditions readily, or be able to adapt our planet to its needs by changing our environment. Humans are fairly adaptable within a narrow range of options, but the food we subsist on is not. there fore any changes would have to allow for a human food source.

It would not need much physical prowess, but would have to be reasonably intelligent. In order to successfully assimilate into our society, they would have to establish a pecking order with them at the top, and humans willing to feed less desirables to it as a reward for not being made into food themselves. It would do very well if it could understand the concept of "spectator cruelty", and humans' fascination with it. It would not have to lure prey if it was the dominant force; prey would be brought to it. It would survive best if it could convince humans to live as a totalitarian theology, with a fearof questioning the system it designs.

There's more, but I am tired. I think you get the idea. the best predators adapt to the lifestyles of their prey.

Answer 2

It would be nocturnal, probably quadrepedal. Small, or at least thin, but with stout muscles. A dark brown or black hairy skin with the vision of a cat. Unretractable claws that are sturdy to support running on the flat cement surfaces of todays metropolis. Hunt in packs to surround it's prey, and would digest most of the human body so that evidence is harder to come by and to also get the full nutrient value out of it.

It would live in alleyways of bustling metropolisses, sleeping during the day in trash cans and possibly dumps. At night they hunt for straggler humans. Giving hoarse barks as a possible lure. If that does not work then the pack will stalk its prey in the dark sides of the streets, away from the lamps. Once the victim is effectively surrounded they attack from all sides taking down their victim as silently as possible then dragging them into the shade of an alleyway.

Answer 3

Echoing: humans do have predators. People are at the top, but the top has many inhabitants.
For the sake of argument, let's talk about hunting style. Is the hunt an ambush or a pursue. A pursuit style would be too easily avoided. The predator would have to get close to the victim. An ambush style would rely on humans venturing into range. Once we learn, that too is avoided. Consider the crocodile and large snakes. Consider large cats and such of Africa and India and China. Consider the bears of North America. Think about their tactics and results. Think about how we have responded.
Our weaknesses are physical. Our strength is in learning and adopting behaviors to avoid enemies or arm ourselves for protection.

Answer 4

Well since humans are social, intelligent, co-operative and aggressive the predator would need to be resistant to any and all human wepaons.. That is the one essential feature of any modern human predator. Without that feature we would simply eradicate them.

Animals like rats and cockroaches can only manage to survivein modern societies by largely avoiding human contact, and so we regard them as a nuisance rather than a threat. A predator would;t be able to rely on that and so would need to be immune to anything we can throw at it when we start to hunt it down.

That means it has to be bullet proof, immune to ALL poisons, have absolutely no ecological requirements in terms of food, shelter or even air and be able to move through any barrier including 6 feet of titanium reinforced concrete.

Ant creature that doesn't have those features will either be hunted to extinction or die of starvation as people lock themselves out of danger.

In reality what that means is that modern human societies can't have predators. We can have parasites, but not predators.

Answer 5

An airborne worm approximately 0.01 mm in width and 1.0 mm in length. Adults float through the air, landing not only on humans but animals, too. They burrow into their prey and feed on the insulin naturally produced in the body. The adult will gorge for several days before laying thousands of eggs inside the pancreas.

The gestation period lasts from 12 to 20 months depending on the supply of insulin. People with Type I diabetes will starve the worm and eggs to death; the insulin injected by them provides the worm no nutrition. Type II diabetics whose bodies have an abundance of insulin provide the worms and their eggs with a feast. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will quickly devour the pancreas, eventually killing the host.

The larvae will leave the body largely unnoticed. They will get caught in any draft or breeze. As larvae, they will not burrow into a host, but attempt to catch another breeze as they mature.

Once young adult, they will mate airborne with as many partners as possible, even among siblings. They then will burrow into a host and continue their lifecycle.

Answer 6

I agree, the predator would be a microbe. Not easily detectable, able to live outside the body for at least a couple days, easily transmittable, but doesn't kill everyone in sight. It would attack the body slowly.

If not a microbe, it would be a small insect like an ant. Work in large numbers, able to live in most environments, squeeze through cracks.

Answer 7

The only predators we have are other humans. That should tell you a lot about what tactics a sucessful predator that preys on humans is like.

Answer 8

It would be small virus or prion...it would be airborne (not spread by droplets, but truly airborne like TB). It doesn't need to balance w/ society (which would help it out a lot) b/c it's not even a living thing and only requires us to reproduce. I suppose it would be a good idea to keep us alive for awhile to ensure reproduction and transmission...and allow us to have babies to keep it's "crop" of humans in good supply...maybe only infect those w/ a Y chromosone aged 30 and above.

I guess like AIDS...but MUCH more fierce....
Scary thought.

Cool question though :o)

Answer 9

Humans prey upon themselves. Just take a look at what's happening in the Middle East.

Answer 10

I'd say "Prey", that sexy alien who kept attracting men to their doom, might be a start. Men are ridiculously easy to lure pretty much anywhere, with sex. Something that managed to have the key sexually attractive features, but was much stronger than the average male, could dine every night on all the males it wants. Eventually we guys would catch on, and so an equilibrium would occur.