Gray Wolf: Encyclopedia II - Gray Wolf - Hunting

Gray Wolf - Hunting

The wolf is a carnivore. Packs of wolves hunt any large herbivores in their range, while lone wolves are apt to consuming smaller animals due to their relative inability to catch anything larger. Pack hunting methods range from surprise attacks to long-lasting chases, though they strongly favor the latter. Through meticulous cooperation, a pack of wolves is able to pursue large prey for several hours before relenting, though the success rate of such chases is rather low. Solitary wolves depend on small animals, capturing them by pouncing and pinning them to the ground with their front paws – a common technique among canids such as foxes and coyotes. Wolves' diets include, but are not limited to, elk, caribou, moose, deer, and other large ungulates. They also prey on rodents and small animals in a limited manner, as a typical wolf requires between 3 and 10 lb (1.3 to 4.5 kg) of meat per day for sustenance; however, this certainly doesn't mean that a wolf will get the chance to eat everyday. In fact, wolves rarely eat on a daily basis, and so they make up for this by eating up to 20 lb (9 kg) of meat when they get the chance. ^[10]

When pursuing large prey, wolves generally attack from all angles, targeting the necks and sides of such animals. Wolf packs test large populations of prey species by inducing a chase, thereby picking and ganging up on an individual that they perceive to be less fit. Less fit animals typically include the elderly, diseased, and young, and though these individuals are among the most likely to fall victim to predation, healthy animals may also succumb through circumstance or by chance. Hence, while wolves are certainly capable of culling the least fit from the communities of animals on which they prey, the process certainly doesn't target the feeble or the ill-suited to an outright degree. Healthy, fit individuals will stand their ground against wolves, and are simply better able to effectively defend themselves, increasing the possibility of injury for the wolves involved. Realizing this, wolves are not likely to spend much time testing, chasing, or harassing such individuals. Probability dictates that these tactics are much more useful against lame, young, or old prey animals, and so it is these individuals that are most likely to fall to wolf predation. Even so, pack hunting efforts are usually fruitless. In one study, less than 1 out of 10 chases of moose resulted in a successful kill.^[11] Therefore, wolves must hunt almost constantly to sustain themselves.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Hunting", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki