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The alpha male defeats and boots a rival out of the pack. If wolves are genetically-engineered to procure food via teamwork and cooperation, it's hard to see how a lone wolf who was just kicked out doesn't starve. He can't scavenge bear-kill because Yogi, Boo Boo, and all the other bruins are sleeping. He seemingly lacks the stealth of e.g., a fox in capturing small prey like lemmings. So how does he survive?
Literary people write about the lone wolf as a heroic figure but he looks more like a tragic loser from here.
Lions are known to drive adolescent males out of the pride but wolves are very much pack animals and a defeated challenger would most likely just assume a subordinate role within the pack.
Wolves can survive on small prey, like rodents. This movie: Never Cry Wolf (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is about a scientist who discovers wolves who've been blamed for the loss of caribou are not killing caribou, but survive instead on rodents.
The life of a lone wolf can indeed be a hazardous one, with a high mortality rate, but many do just fine. The recent saga of OR-7, the famous young male wolf that has wandered back and forth between Oregon and California, is an example. A single lone wolf, without the power of the pack, can be killed by larger more powerful predators such as bears or cougars. Larger prey animals that the pack would take down now become too dangerous to tackle alone. That means small animals, scavenging, and perhaps an occasional deer, although even here, an adult buck wearing a rack would be very tough, and capable of killing a wolf that is perhaps half it's weight with antlers or powerful sharp hooves.
I read recently where they studied the diet of one of the packs from their wastes and saw that deer was their primary source of food. A lone wolf would have little trouble bringing down young deer.
A lone wolf would have little trouble bringing down young deer.
Yes, if they can catch them. On firm dry ground healthy deer easily outrun wolves. This is why most wolf hunts end in failure, the alert intended target spots them and just runs off, too fast to catch. While wolves have great endurance, contrary to popular opinion they are actually not fast runners compared to the hoofed animals they hunt.
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