Wolves have been a mysterious creatures filled with legends and wonders since ancient time. Wolves have been presented as a negative figure; however, wolves are top predators in nature. People are curious about how they act, where they usually appear and most crucially, how they hunt. Because eating is the significant part of life, hunting habits between predators have drawn people’s attention. For people who work in the field of animal observation, hunting skills and strategies wild animals use are particularly high-lighted.  There are a few processes that we’ve observed about how wolves hunt.

   How do a magnificent creature such as a wolf hunt? First of all, unlike most strong predators like tigers or lions that often seen hunting alone, wolves hunt in packs. A wolf pack may trail a herd of elk, caribou, or other large prey for days before making its move. It takes time and strong maintenance but doing so can increase the success rate of the hunt. During this time, they are already in the process of hunting, accessing the herd, looking for an animal that displays any sign of weakness or any possibility to be isolated they can target the prey. This is just the beginning. Wolves must also factor in other conditions that will affect the hunt, such as the weather, the landform and even the habits of the type of prey they are hunting. The wolves know that their mere appearance will eventually panic the caribous. When the rearmost caribou spooks, leaving the hard trail and attempting to run to the middle of the herd, it founders in the snowdrifts. When that happens, it is all over.

  In warm weather, this same pack of wolves changes its tactics. They herd the caribou, for example, into a dry riverbed where many of the ungulates stumble on the round stone. A wolf pack therefore weighs many different factors when selecting its target. As the circumstances changes, the target may change as well.

  Other observations of wolves have shown that often fewer than half of wolves on a hunt are actually involved with physically bringing down the prey. The youngest wolves frequently do nothing more than observe and learn from the sidelines. The wolves would also assign the members of the pack to their most qualified positions. For instance, speedy, lightly built female wolves often take on herding roles. They dart back and forth in front of prey, causing confusion and preventing escape. For slower but more powerful male wolves, they are able to take down a large animal more powerfully and quickly, so they are mostly the main strength and the leaders of the hunting pack.

  Wolves have always been one of the amazing animals in my head, and I have this image of them being powerful, wise, and indescribably beautiful. They are used in a lot of fantasy stories too. Writing this article gave me the opportunity to do some research on how the wolves hunt and despite being wild animals, they use different strategies depends on all kinds of conditions and separate the team work so that they can feed up the entire pack more efficiently. It was truly impressive.

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