the sawtooth wolf pack

A wolf pAck is A wholly devoted extended fAmily.Itisboundtogetherbyacommonpurposeand,attimes,itseems,acommonmind. Watchingthewaywolvesinteractedwithoneanother,itwaseasytoseewhysomanyearlyhumanculturesreveredwolves.Huntingsocietiesespeciallyadmiredandevenimitatedthewolf ’sskill,foraspredatorshumansbeingsandwolveshavesimilarlimitationsandmustemploysimilartechniques.Itisduringahuntwherewolves’neartelepathicco-operationismostapparent.Awolfpackmaytrailaherdofelk,caribouorotherlargepreyfordaysbeforemakingitsmove.Duringthistime,theyarealreadyhunting,assessingtheherd,lookingforananimalthatdisplaysanysignofweakness,andthisisjustthebeginning.Wolvesmustalsofactorinotherconditionsthatwillaffectthehunt;weatherandterraincantipthescalesinfavorofpredatororprey.Forexample,awideopenplainfavorstheungulates,who,iffull-grownandhealthy,canoutrunthefastestwolf.Ontheotherhand,crustysnoworicefavorsthewolves

whosewideroundpawshaveevolvedtoperformlikesnowshoesandcarrythemeffortlesslyoverthesurface.Anexperiencedwolfiswellawarethathoofedanimalsbreakthroughthecrustandcanbecomeboggeddownindeepsnow. Wolveshavelearnedtousetheseconditionstotheiradvantage.AbiologistfriendtoldmeofaparticularpackinAlaskathathehasobservedfollowingaherdofcaribouonanarrowpackedtrailthroughdeepsnow.Thewolvesknowthattheirmerepresence,followingclosebehind,willeventuallypanicthecaribou.Whentherearmostcaribouspooks,leavingthehardtrailandattemptingtoruntothemiddleoftheherd,itfoundersinthesnowdrifts.Whenthathappensitisallover.Inwarmweather,thissamepackofwolveschangesitstactics,herdingthecaribouintoadryriverbedwheremanyoftheungulatesstumbleontheroundstones. Awolfpackthereforeweighsmanydifferentfactorswhenselectingitstargetand,ascircumstanceschangeduringthehuntthetargetmaychangeaswell.

The Packby Jim Dutcher

Initiallytheymaybepursuingacalf,butifabighealthybullstumblesunexpectedly,theyallknowtogoafterthebiggermeal.Conversely,iftoomanyfactorsseemtobegoinginfavoroftheprey,theymaychoosetowait.Sometimesitisbettertostayabithungryuntiltheoddsimproveratherthanexpendpreciousenergyonafruitlesschase.

Otherobserversofwildwolveshavereportedthatoftenfewerthanhalfofwolvesonahuntareactuallyinvolvedwithphysicallybringingdowntheprey.Theyoungestwolvesfrequentlydonothingmorethanobserveandlearnfromthesidelines.Eachoftheotherpackmemberscontributes

accordingtoitsparticularexperienceandability.Speedy,lightly-builtfemalesoftentakeonherdingroles,dartingbackandforthinfrontofprey,causingconfusionandpreventingescape.Slowerbutmorepowerfulmalesareabletotakedownalargeanimalmoreaggressivelyandquickly. Someofthewolf ’sbad

reputationstemsfromtheapparentmobscenethatensueswhenthepreybeginstofalter.Wolvesarenotequippedtodispatchtheirvictimsquickly;preyusuallydieofshock,muscledamage

orbloodloss.Ifitcan,oneofthestrongerwolveswillseizethepreybythenoseandholdontight,helpingtobringaboutamoreexpeditiousend,buttheanimalcanstilltakemanyminutesbeforeitsuccumbs.Equippedonlywithfeetforrunningandjawsforbiting,wolvesmakethebestoftheirlimitations.A

wolfpack’sferocityandapparentbrutalityisreallyadefensivemeasure.Itisnotrareforawolftobeseriouslyinjuredbyflailinghoovesandslashingantlers.Awellplacedkickcouldbreakawolf ’sjaw,renderingitunabletofeeditself.Itismuchsafertoharassthepreyandletittireoutbeforemovinginclose.Farfrombeingamobscene,ahuntisamasterfullycoordinatedgroupeffort,welldeservingofouradmiration.Althoughthealphamaleisusuallyinthethickofthehunt,itwouldbeanexaggerationtosaythatheisleadingit.Thealphamayselecttheanimaltobepursued,orhemaychosetobreakoffthehuntifitisgoingpoorly.Butheisnotbarkingoutorderstohissubordinateslikeageneralonthebattlefield.Thewolvesjustseemtoknowwhattodo,andtheydoitasone. Peopleunderstandthatwolvesarepredators,butmanystilldonotknowtheothersideofwolves,asidethattheanimal

Rarely did two wolves pass one another without playfully rubbing shoulders together or exchanging a brief lick

doesnotreadilyshare.Ourproject,byitsverynature,haditslimitations.Theanimal’sprowessasahunterwasoneaspectofwolvesthatwewereunabletofeature.Norwereweabletoshowcertainotherqualitiessuchasthegreatdistancestheycantravelorthewaypacksdefendtheirterritory.Theselimitationswerebalancedbyourabilitytoexaminetheirpersonalrelationshipswithoneanother,anditwasherethatthemoresubtlesignsofpackunityrevealedthemselves.Rarelydidtwowolvespassoneanotherwithoutplayfullyrubbingshoulderstogetherorexchangingabrieflick.SooftenJamieandIwouldseetwowolvesrelaxingtogether,curledupbesideoneanother,theheadofonewolfdrapedovertheneckoftheotherinagesturethatwasbothassertiveandaffectionate.Morethanhuntingortravel,thisisthebehaviorIhopedtorevealinmyfilmsbecauseitisthesideofwolvesthatpeopleunderstandtheleast. Afterobservingthispackforsolong,Ihavecometobelievethatthebondawolfhastoitspackiscertainlyasstrongasthebondahumanbeinghastoitsfamily.Onewouldhopethatthissimilaritywouldgiveusaninstinctivesympathyforwolves,butwestubbornlyresistgrantinganothercreaturequalitiesthatwecherishassingularlyhuman.

The youngest wolves frequently do nothing

more than observe and learn from the sidelines.