US Geological Survey
Date of this Version
2003
Citation
Published in Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, edited by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani (Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 2003).
Abstract
AS 1 (L. o. MECH) watched from a small ski plane while fifteen wolves surrounded a moose on snowy Isle Royale, I had no idea this encounter would typify observations I would make during 40 more years of studying wolf-prey interactions.
My usual routine while observing wolves hunting was to have my pilot keep circling broadly over the scene so I could watch the wolves' attacks without disturbing any of the animals. Only this time there was no attack. The moose held the wolves at bay for about 5 minutes (fig. p), and then the pack left.
From this observation and many others of wolves hunting moose, deer, caribou, muskoxen, bison, elk, and even arctic hares, we have come to view the wolf as a highly discerning hunter, a predator that can quickly judge the cost/benefit ratio of attacking its prey. A successful attack, and the wolf can feed for days. One miscalculation, however, and the animal could be badly injured or killed. Thus wolves generally kill prey that, while not always on their last legs, tend to be less fit than their conspecifics and thus closer to death. The moose that the fifteen wolves surrounded had not been in this category, so when the wolves realized it, they gave up. That is most often the case when wolves hunt.
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Comments
U.S. government work.