The wolf is, like cats and dogs,
a carnivore. Its teeths are pointed and sharp, ideal to drag, grip and
kill. Although a wolf may eat berries in times of lack of food, it can`t
survive without meat. And because a wolf is a big mammal and lives in a
pack, it can`t satisfy its hunger by hunting just little animals. Of course
it would also eat mice, birds and rabbits, it likes more hunting big animals
like red deer, elk, karibu, buffalo, mountain sheep , moschus-ox or snow-hare
( the pray depends on the wolf`s living space). Big animals are more difficult
to hunt and to kill than little ones, but a successful chase brings more
food for a longer time for the whole pack.
For a successful chase, a wolf
needs all these capabilities: sharp senses to track down the prey, the
ability to cover long distances without getting tired, the skill to fight
with a big and dangerous animal wihout getting harmed.
On the run, deers for example can
develop an unbelievable speed. If the wolf drives them into a corner, they
can harm it very badly with their hoofs and they can also bash in its head.
In autumn and the early winter, deers are also able to kill a wolf with
their horns.
Karibus are even bigger than deers
and their hoofs are so heavy that they can easily smash a wolf`s backbone.
Most of the time, karibus roam about in big herds, unless in times of calving:
In this time, the mothers separate from the herd and search for lonesome
reefs, rocks, islands or other isolated, well protected places where they
can give birth to their calves. During the first few days of their life,
young karibus are very weak and a light prey for wolves. But after a few
days, they can already run very fast and the mother unites with other mothers
and calves to a herd, for a better protection and defense.
Canadian elks, the biggest prey
of the wolf, just go into „defense position" when a wolf approaches, cause
that way they are already quite secure from a wolf`s attack. The wolves
now must try to make them flee, so that they can attack the elks without
a big danger. But also in that case, the elks are usually faster and more
tireless than the wolves. And in case of a fight, an elk has also a good
chance to win, because he is much stronger than the wolves.
Also the other animals which are
hunted by the wolf have similar defense strategies. Moschus-oxes and buffaloes
unite to a group. They stand together in a circle with the young in the
middle and the heads with the sharp horns outwards pointed on the wolves.
Sheep live in a rocky, rugged terrain where the wolves can`t follow them.
In general the wolves kill only as much prey as they need to survive and to feed the puppies. The animals which are killed by wolves are always old, injured, weak or sick. Healthy animals are fast enough to run away or strong enough to fight.
When a wolf- or a wolf pack- has
tracked down a prey, it usually tries to approach very cautiously, no matter
if the terrain is wooded or open.
If the prey discovers the wolf
and hesitates, also the wolf hesitates. But exactly in that moment when
the prey begins to flee, the wolf begins to run. When a buffalo for instance
refuses to run away, the wolf hesitates to attack. The wolf may pretend
several times to attack, but it won`t attack until the buffalo flees. That
may dure several hours sometimes, and sometimes the wolf goes away again
when the buffalo just refuses to flee.
The wolf kills most of its prey
during the run. Already after a few seconds, the hunt is determined. If
the wolf couldn`t get the animal after a few minutes, it usually gives
up. But the wolf can also hunt for the prey over several miles.
A wolf may eat 10 to 20 pounds at once, but if there`s to much food, the pack lays in a stock of meat for hard times. (photos)
source:
"Wölfe": (Verhalten und Lebensweise) / R.
D. Lawrence (german edition) F.Schneider Verlag