Wolves (Canis lupus) are mammals belonging to the Canidae family and are known worldwide for their customs and for being the supposed ancestors of dogs. Their appearance often inspires fear and they are animals that can be dangerous to humans. But the truth is that they escape from us, being found today in very few places within their former distribution range, such as North America, part of Europe, North Africa and Asia, where they live in wooded, mountainous areas, of grasslands or swamps.
In addition to being extremely intelligent animals, whose social structure is very complex and with very marked hierarchies, they have adaptations to the climate that allow them to live in areas with extreme temperatures of up to -50 ºC. But how do wolves hunt? Do they do it in a pack or alone? Continue reading this ExertoAnimal article, where we will tell you about how wolves hunt and the characteristics of their hunting techniques.
The wolf hierarchy and its relation to hunting
The social structure of these animals is one of the most organized, since they have a well-established and marked hierarchy. Some studies indicate that in each herd there is a reproductive pair in charge of leading the hunt and being the nucleus of the group, as we explained in this other article on The reproduction of the wolf. On the other hand, three or four other individuals take turns entering and leaving the group, while another individual is in charge of protecting the leading couple, watching their backs.
The leading breeding pair is also in charge of resolving and intervening in any dispute that may arise between the members of the herd, in addition, they have absolute freedom within the group, since they have control over the resources and are the ones that keep the herd together, whose social trait is fellowship, among others. On the other hand, there is a second reproductive pair that follows the alphas, the beta, and it is the one that will replace the first in case of death and the one that controls the individuals of lower rank within the herd.
In general, wolves are monogamous, although there are exceptions, as the alpha male (the leading and dominant male of the pack) may sometimes prefer to mate with another member of a lower hierarchical rank. In the case of females, they second their partners in command, and the cubs do not participate in this hierarchy until they reach maturity.
The alpha has many privileges, and when feeding on prey, he will he first does , and then gives way to the others, who will be submissive to the alpha male. Submission equates to crouching down and tucking in their bodies, lowering their ears, licking the alpha on the snout, and tucking their tail between their legs. On the other hand, studies speak of the existence of a omega wolf, who is the last to be considered when it comes to eating or during games.
The number of the pack will be subject to several factors, such as the environmental conditions of its habitat, the different personalities of its members and the availability of food. The size can vary from 2 to 20 wolves, although it is said that the common is from 5 to 8. And a pack is formed when a wolf moves away from its pack of origin, where it was born, to find a mate and then claim a territory, being able to travel long distances in search of other wolves. Also, each pack must have a lot of respect for each other's territories, otherwise they could be killed by members of other packs.
Do wolves hunt in packs?
Yes, wolves hunt in groups of a few individuals, usually between four and five individuals. Together they corner the prey forming a polygon, leaving it little chance of escape, not only because it is trapped on all sides, but also because wolves are agile and very fast. Always, leaders and adults are ahead, while the younger ones behind are watching all the moves.
The hunting party is mainly governed by two rules: one is that they should approach the prey little by little and slowly until be at a considerable and safe distance. The second is that each one must move away from the rest and always in position and ready to attack. In addition, the attack will depend on the size of the prey, since if they are domestic cattle, they hunt on the prowl and a member of the group is in charge of distracting, if it is the case, to shepherd dogs that take care of the flock. So when a wolf is seen by the shepherds, the rest take charge of attacking the prey.
When dealing with other larger animals, such as moose, wolves choose prey that is visibly disadvantaged, either because it is a baby, an old individual, sick or badly injured. First, they can harass them for hours until they become unnerved and make them run away, at which point the wolves take the opportunity to swoop down on one of them. These attacks can also be dangerous for wolves, as moose and other large prey can attack them with their antlers.
What are the advantages of hunting in a group?
Hunting in a group gives them great advantages compared to hunting alone, since together they attack the prey from different angles of the hunting range and their success is due to this strategy, since the trapped prey is held with no escape.
In addition, hunting in groups allows them to access almost any large prey, such as moose, caribou, deer, among others. others, unlike a wolf that hunts alone, since it will have to settle for hunting smaller prey, such as rabbits, beavers or foxes to avoid any injury in the event of dealing with larger animals. However, one of the disadvantages of hunting in a group is that they must then share the prey among all members of the pack.
Now that you know how wolves hunt, you may be interested to know if Is it true that wolves attack people?
Do wolves hunt during the day or at night?
Wolves have a very keen sense of smell and sight, which enables them to hunt both during the day and at nightIn general, they do so in twilight hours thanks to their vision that allows them to see in low light conditions. This is due to the presence of a layer of tissue located behind the retina, called the tapetum lucidum.
During the day they rest and sleep somewhere protected away from humans or possible predators, although during the winter they may move at any time.
