It sems he gives short shrift — or insufficient shrift — to coyotes’, foxes’, and wolves’ intelligence. Potent weapon.
And my gut tells me that he is wrong about prey being able to thwart wolves if the prey just manages to throw a monkey wrench into the wolves’ 5-part strategy. Sometimes, maybe, but not always. The intelligence of canines is finely tuned to calculate when the reward is going to be less than the risk or the energy commitment.
All the documentaries I’ve seen imply that the wolves are so teamwork-oriented and so persistent (having fantastic focus) that they can work a stand-off until the prey dies, even if it’s not wounded — just by constantly stressing the trapped animal: feinting, nipping, confusing, exhausting, cutting off avenues of retreat, and playing psychological games with it.
In a chase, they spell each other: one leads the chase, and then leads the prey towards another wolf so that the first can catch some rest while the second allows none to the prey. I will bet they do the same in a stand-off, for as long as necessary.
All I know is, I ain’t surviving a wolf pack attack, if I’m unarmed, even if I see them early and even if I stand my ground. Nope. But I would hope to come back in the next life as a wolf.
Oh … I forgot to add — on the highest tier, he forgot to place West Highland White Terriers, Cairn Terriers, Goldens, Mutts, and/or Lhasa Apsos. So, stratification fail.
You can find lots of direwolves in the La Brea tar pits, well at least their bones anyway.
It sems he gives short shrift — or insufficient shrift — to coyotes’, foxes’, and wolves’ intelligence. Potent weapon.
And my gut tells me that he is wrong about prey being able to thwart wolves if the prey just manages to throw a monkey wrench into the wolves’ 5-part strategy. Sometimes, maybe, but not always. The intelligence of canines is finely tuned to calculate when the reward is going to be less than the risk or the energy commitment.
All the documentaries I’ve seen imply that the wolves are so teamwork-oriented and so persistent (having fantastic focus) that they can work a stand-off until the prey dies, even if it’s not wounded — just by constantly stressing the trapped animal: feinting, nipping, confusing, exhausting, cutting off avenues of retreat, and playing psychological games with it.
In a chase, they spell each other: one leads the chase, and then leads the prey towards another wolf so that the first can catch some rest while the second allows none to the prey. I will bet they do the same in a stand-off, for as long as necessary.
All I know is, I ain’t surviving a wolf pack attack, if I’m unarmed, even if I see them early and even if I stand my ground. Nope. But I would hope to come back in the next life as a wolf.
Oh … I forgot to add — on the highest tier, he forgot to place West Highland White Terriers, Cairn Terriers, Goldens, Mutts, and/or Lhasa Apsos. So, stratification fail.