The wolves occupying coast of Caspian Sea, quite go out to ice where search in hummocks of seals. In mountains they hunt on marmots. Using roughness of relief, predators, having sprawled on the ground, wait long, while marmots will not depart far from their hole. Having selected a victim, they with a short prompt throw cut off to it the way to escape, intercepting on way to shelter. Sometimes wolves hide about holes, expecting long leaving of marmots on a surface. Similarly to foxes, wolves can hunt for mice or other fine rodents and insectivorous. Having waited when, for example, a vole will appear on a surface, the wolf in a jump presses it down with his paw and eats. It is usual hunting method of lone wolves, adult and young, during the summer period. By the way, foxes also quite often become victims of wolves. But wolves only kill foxes, leaving on a place, and very seldom eat. This not clear feature of predator's behavior was marked by many zoologists.
The mimicry expressive poses and movements are important means of communication of wolves. Wolf's mimicry is much more expressive, than domestic dog's one. It is supplemented with ears' position and muzzle's color, "mask" which obediently follows changes of facial muscles. When wolf is frightened, his head kind of "decreases" in sizes: ears are pressed and allocated back, the muzzle is extended, and mouth corners are narrowed and drown back. The dispirited "face" is accompanied by avoiding of a direct sight. On the contrary, self-assured wolf's head looks larger and rounded, ears are lifted and directed forward, mouth corners are drown out forward. The confident "face" is emphasized by rounded, distant to the partner eyes. Aggression of the wolf ready or preparing to the attack is expressed by grinning muzzle, with teeth demonstration in the open mouth, rampant muzzle hair. Special "face" expressiveness is given with deep parallel skin folds behind nose above the lower jaw. The pug nose creates an extreme expression of an animal ready to attack. Ears position strongly depends on that, how much fear is added to aggression. The expression of aggression mixed with fear, is accompanied by a different degree how ears are pressed to head.
Absence of fear, aggression and self-confidence are expressed by put straight or even directed forward ears. A tail is the good indicator of wolf's feelings and intentions. Animals lift it at different angles, swing it with different amplitude and frequency, obviously showing it or hiding between legs. The self-assured or wolf that is out for scalps holds his tail highly at a level, and sometimes even above a level of his back. Threatening, wolves quite often lift their tails almost vertically, tensely almost motionless keeping it and raising hackles. Wolves, on the contrary, express their suppressed mood, feeling of fear with lowered tail, in extreme demonstration of fear hiding it between legs. They express friendly feelings with free wide movements of their tail from side to side, lifting it at different angles relatively their back.
Continue to read...
Comments - 0
Home
Subspecies of wolves
Habits and way of life
Wolves' language
Wolves' traces
Posterity' education