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The Food ChainA cheetah chases down and devours a zebra. The scene is not
uncommon in Etosha, where the cycle of life, death, and birth has played out longer than
any human can remember. In this situation, the cheetah is the predator,
the animal that is eating, while the zebra is the prey,
the animal being eaten. |
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Predators and prey comprise only a portion of
what is commonly known as a food chain. A food chain
explains how food energy is transferred between living things in an environment. Every
living thing in a food chain is either a producer or a
consumer. Producers, such as plants, obtain energy
from non-living sources, while consumers get their energy by consuming other living
things. Every consumer is either a predator or prey.  |
