apex predator

Etymology

apex +‎ predator

Noun

apex predator (plural apex predators)

1. An animal atop the food chain, preying but not prey.
   • a. 2007, Martha Hiatt, quoted in, 2007, Wendell Jamieson, Father Knows Less, or, "Can I cook my sister?", Putnam, →ISBN, page 203,

     Killer whales are the oceans' apex predators, which means they are at the top of the food chain.

   • 2017 April 2, John Oliver, “Marijuana”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 7, HBO:

     And marijuana is not a Schedule I any more than a hedgehog is an apex predator. “You’re not scaring anyone, Roland. Get a tattoo.”