Which is the best example of predation? Hookworms live in the intestines of dogs and feed on their blood. Barn owls often capture and eat mice that live in fields. A colony of termites protects the eggs laid by a queen termite. Two species of shellfish grow in the same shallow ocean waters.

The best example of predation in the options provided is: "Barn owls often capture and eat mice that live in fields."

Here's why:

Predation is a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often leads to the death of the prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption.

In the given examples, the barn owls capturing and eating mice is the best example of predation. This is because the barn owl (predator) is hunting, killing, and consuming the mice (prey).

The other examples do not fit the definition of predation:

• Hookworms living in the intestines of dogs and feeding on their blood is an example of parasitism, not predation. In parasitism, the parasite (hookworms) benefits at the expense of the host (dogs), but typically does not kill the host.

• A colony of termites protecting the eggs laid by a queen termite is an example of social behavior within a species, not predation.

• Two species of shellfish growing in the same shallow ocean waters is an example of cohabitation or possibly competition, not predation.