User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Hunter Theory... Blog/@comment-74.193.210.169-20120617192513/@comment-4775842-20120617232054

That is a different relationship. That is predator vs predator, not predator vs prey. Predators develop to kill other animals, sometimes to hunt one specific thing, and sometimes to have a large dietary variety. It's a given that when two or more predators meet each other, they will either (1), one runs from the other or (2), they both fight. While this is similar with herbivores (the former the most often outcome), herbivores develop defenses to protect themselves, not claws and teeth designed for hunting. Hawks developed their sharp talons and beaks for hunting multitudes of animals (small rodents, fish, snakes). The rattlesnake developed it's poison for the purpose of BOTH killing its prey and defending itself against predators. The relationships seem similar at first glance, but the differences are that kirin are low in the food chain, despite the fact they can repel almost every enemy that comes their way. The rattlesnake, however, is a second level consumer, which means it (usually) eats consumers that eat plants or decomposers (mice, birds, an occasional unlucky hawk...).