Post by ophio on Mar 4, 2023 23:28:04 GMT
Interesting article detailing an adult northwestern wolf that was skull-bitten by a cougar. Another link
Some tidbits:
Imo one explanation could be that wolf packs in the coast are far less numerous. for example, in California where I am from, all our wolf packs have been a pair of wolves and maybe a subadult wolf that they sired last season or two. Meanwhile Wyoming wolf packs are much larger. This could be because bison occur in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho while in Washington and California, the toughest prey these wolf hunt down are elk and deer so they do not need the numbers. With each pack having less wolves in Washington, cougars would be more likely to challenge a single wolf because they don't need to worry about a pack.
Another explanation is given in the article.
The ability to climb a tree would greatly aid a cougar in the forests of Washington compared to the plains of Wyoming.
Some tidbits:
“It was uncommon enough that when staff started asking about this, most biologists who studied wolves and cougars couldn’t think of an instance of a wolf being killed by a cougar,” said Roussin. “It was unusual during the first 20-plus years of wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies — Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.”
Since 2013, WDFW staff have documented at least four collared wolves being killed by cougars. That’s more than has been documented in the entire Northern Rocky Mountains in twice as much time, despite that being a much larger area with many more wolves than Washington. And, it is likely there are more cases that we don’t know about.
Since 2013, WDFW staff have documented at least four collared wolves being killed by cougars. That’s more than has been documented in the entire Northern Rocky Mountains in twice as much time, despite that being a much larger area with many more wolves than Washington. And, it is likely there are more cases that we don’t know about.
Imo one explanation could be that wolf packs in the coast are far less numerous. for example, in California where I am from, all our wolf packs have been a pair of wolves and maybe a subadult wolf that they sired last season or two. Meanwhile Wyoming wolf packs are much larger. This could be because bison occur in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho while in Washington and California, the toughest prey these wolf hunt down are elk and deer so they do not need the numbers. With each pack having less wolves in Washington, cougars would be more likely to challenge a single wolf because they don't need to worry about a pack.
Another explanation is given in the article.
Unlike wolves, which travel and hunt in packs, cougars are solitary predators. This gives the big cats a distinct advantage over the canines when it comes to one-on-one combat. Cougars also have a leg up on the defensive side because of their climbing abilities. Even if a wolf pack tried to attack a lone mountain lion, the cat could easily get away by climbing a tree and staying well out of reach of the wolves.
“Most of the time you don’t think of cats being able to out-fight dogs,” WDFW explains. “[But] when a cougar successfully ambushes a wolf traveling alone, the fight can be very short, with the cat finishing it with a quick bite to the head.”
“Most of the time you don’t think of cats being able to out-fight dogs,” WDFW explains. “[But] when a cougar successfully ambushes a wolf traveling alone, the fight can be very short, with the cat finishing it with a quick bite to the head.”
The ability to climb a tree would greatly aid a cougar in the forests of Washington compared to the plains of Wyoming.