Wolves and Caribou
Wolves prey on Caribou:
Caribou try to protect themselves from wolves by sleeping on frozen lakes in the winter, where they can see wolves before they get too close. A healthy caribou can usually outrun a wolf across the hard-packed snow on a frozen lake, or across the tundra in the summer. In the summer, caribou swim out into lakes if they cannot outrun a wolf. Caribou are very good swimmers due to their hollow hair that provides buoyancy, and their large, splayed hooves that provide them with efficient "paddles." Although wolves will swim, they are not nearly as fast as caribou. The wolves rely on surprise, strategy, and group hunting to compensate for their lack of speed. |