Mesopredator

[2] Due to their smaller size, mesopredators play a part in the ecosystem of dispersing seeds in open spaces, as well as driving community structure.

"[6] One impact of this is that these mesopredators can act as scavengers cleaning up dead animal carcasses discarded by humans in urban areas.

[5] These mesopredator outbreaks can lead to declining prey populations, destabilized ecological communities, reduced biodiversity, and can even drive local extinctions.

[3][4] Mesopredator outbreaks are becoming more common in fragmented habitats, which are areas where a species' preferred environment is broken up by obstacles.

[4] Fragmented habitats can be caused by geological or human activity, and particularly affect larger animals that roam and hunt across large territories, such as apex predators.

[4] Human development also promotes mesopredator outbreaks through increasing access to resources such as pet food, trash, and crops.

Raccoons and skunks are common examples of mesopredators. Pictured is a common raccoon and a striped skunk eating cat food in an urban area.