One of the most important things to know about wolves is
that they are not violent creatures!
Wolves only kill to eat—they will literally only kill what they need to
survive. While wolves are often made out to be scary, dangerous creatures to
us, they actually want nothing to do with humans most of the time. In the wild,
they are shy around humans and will generally try to avoid them at all
costs—sometimes even if it means abandoning a kill. Humans are actually the
wolf’s only predator.
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| see, friendly wolf!...OK, so maybe this is a scene from the 2003 movie Wolf Summer..but you get the point, they're not violent |
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| A cub, being snatched up by an eagle! A scene like this would never happen with an adult wolf. |
So, wolves are at the top of the food chain. While wolf cubs
sometimes become prey to large bears or birds, adult wolves have virtually no
predators—top of the food chain! They eat mostly large, hoofed mammals known as
ungulates, such as deer, elk, caribou, and moose. While these large mammals are
their main prey source, wolves are opportunistic animals and so have also been
known to eat smaller animals, like hares and beavers, and even some plants and
berries occasionally.
Wolves need, on average, about three to ten pounds of meat
per day. However, interestingly enough, wolves do not actually eat every day.
Since hunting cannot always be successful, wolves live a “feast or famine”
lifestyle. This basically means that wolves are able to eat nothing for a
period of time, and then eat a lot all at one time. They can go several days
without eating and then gorge on more than 20 pounds of meat when a kill is
made!
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| by hunting in a pack, these wolves are able to attack a huge bison! |
Wolves have various hunting tactics which increase the
likelihood of catching their prey. As they hunt mostly large animals, wolves
will generally hunt together as a pack—this allows them to easily surround their
prey, as well as ‘test’ a herd for signs of weakness. Since wolves are not
naturally violent and are opportunistic creatures, they often go after vulnerable
(weak, ill, very young, or very old) individuals of a herd. Wolves most often
search for weaker individuals, but will also go for healthy animals—especially
in circumstances where the healthy prey is at a disadvantage; for example, a
deer in especially deep snow. The fact that wolves will choose to hunt
vulnerable animals can actually benefit the prey population. By killing the “inferior”
animals of a population, wolves are increasing the health of their prey.
This also ensures that the animals able to reproduce will be healthy and strong—over
many years, this selection can help the prey population become better adapted to
survival. By eradicating the weak members, wolves help keep the ecosystem in
balance for many other species.
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| two wolves, clearly killed for sport and no other reason :( |
As I said before, humans are the only true predators to
wolves. Wolves present virtually no danger to humans without provocation, yet
we still mercilessly attack them. While many hunters poach wolves for sport or
for their skins and fur, some say they kill to protect their livestock. Regardless of reasoning, killing wolves is still
illegal. Wolves are not naturally aggressive creatures, and they are an
essential part of keeping the eco system in balance. For more information on the
prevention of wolf poaching and wolf conservation efforts, refer to our blog
post called “The Conservation Status of Wolves in North America.” Stop killing these beautiful creatures!
Come back soon for more awesome
info on wolves!
sources:
images:
That was so sad that someone hunts wolves for no reason!!!!! :( But it is interesting that they can gorge on meat after starving themselves? Is that healthy for them? When you look at us, that would usually make us sick. Also, would this affect their ability to hunt seeing as they are so weighted down with food?
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly it is completely okay for them! Their bodies are built so that they can gorge without being sick :) I'm not sure if it would affect their hunting abilities, but I would guess they probably wouldn't try to hunt immediately after gorging on a huge meal!
DeleteIf they are often hungry for days, I think there is a danger to humans. If you meet a pack of wolves who haven't eaten for a while, will they attack? Either way, the new Liam Neeson movie about being stranded in the woods in winter with killer woods seems like exaggeration. I think humans should be careful around wolves, even if they are intimidated by us.
ReplyDeleteThey kill to survive only. Does this mean that there is built in morality to their hunting patterns? There is no malicious killing for the sake of killing like some humans do.
I saw an episode of Frozen planet where a pack of wolves took out a bison, it was crazy! They are excellent hunters in a group. I didn't know that wolves tended to avoid humans, though, that's very interesting! They are such awesome animals :)
ReplyDeleteUm, that photo of a "wolf cub being snatched by a eagle" is obviously a fox. While wolf cubs can be snatched by large birds of prey depending on their age, this not such a case.
ReplyDelete