Whats the leading cause of death in wild animals (excluding slaughter by humans)?
I’d say that is prey species such as deer, antelope, rodents, etc. the number one cause of death is predation. The reason that so many deer species are able to stand right after birth is that it is a necessity to survive. From the moment they are born, these prey species are in constant danger of being hunted by predators. Even if they survive into adulthood, such animals are ultimately likely to die at the hands of a predator, since they are older, weaker, and easier to catch. For predators, I’d say the number one cause of death is either lack of food or conflict between other animals of the same species. Since predators require large amounts of food in comparison to herbivores, they need larger territories or areas in which to hunt. When too many predators are in one place, either the weaker ones starve as the stronger find all the prey, or the weaker are killed by the stronger who are defending their territory/kill. As for animals dying peacefully of old age, it certainly can happen
