SOME ANIMALS, LIKE ELK, EAT
PLANTS.

OTHER ANIMALS LIKE THIS RED-TAILED HAWK EAT ANIMALS.

ANY ANIMAL WHO HUNTS ANOTHER
ANIMAL FOR FOOD IS CALLED A

PREDATOR.

IT'S EASY TO FEEL SORRY FOR THE
ANIMAL BEING CHASED.

THAT ANIMAL'S CALLED THE PREY
ANIMAL.

A PREY ANIMAL IS ANY ANIMAL, BIG
OR SMALL, WITH FINS OR FEATHERS

WHO MUST AVOID BEING EATEN BY
ANOTHER ANIMAL.

SOUNDS TOUGH, HUH?

WELL, IT'S NOT EASY BEING A
PREDATOR EITHER.

DID YOU KNOW A PREDATOR MAY HUNT
NINE OR 10 TIMES BEFORE IT

CATCHES ANY PREY?

(ding dong)

>> PIZZA!

>> CAN YOU IMAGINE?

>> HERE YOU GO, PIZZA.

>> YAY!

>> IF YOU ORDERED A PIZZA AND
NINE TIMES IN A ROW THE BOX WAS

EMPTY?

NINE TIMES IN A ROW YOU DIDN'T GET ANY DINNER?

>> AWWWW!

>> THAT'S WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR
PREDATORS.

WOLVES ARE PREDATORS.

THEY CAN GO HUNGRY FOR DAYS.

THE REASON IT'S SO HARD FOR
PREDATORS TO CATCH FOOD IS

BECAUSE PREY ANIMALS HAVE
ADAPTED IN MANY WAYS TO PROTECT

THEMSELVES.

BUT PREDATORS HAVE ADAPTATIONS,
TOO, AND THIS HELPS PREDATORS TO

LIVE IN THE WILD.

WOLVES HAVE FUR THAT CAN BE ANY
COLOR FROM BLACK OR GRAY TO

SHADES OF BROWN AND WHITE.

IT KEEPS THEM WARM BUT ALSO
PROTECTS THE WOLF FROM RAIN

AND BRUSH.

IN THE WINTER, THEIR COATS
DEVELOP SHORT FUZZY HAIRS

BENEATH THE LONGER, COARSER
GUARD HAIR, THESE SMALLER HAIRS

SERVE AS INSULATION THROUGH THE
COLDER SEASONS.

WOLVES HAVE VERY LARGE PAWS.

THEIR BIG FEET WORK LIKE
SNOWSHOES IN THE WINTER,

ALLOWING THE ANIMAL TO RUN SWIFTLY OVER THE TOP OF THE

SNOW AFTER THEIR PREY.

AND BIG PAWS ARE ALSO AN ADVANTAGE WHEN A WOLF IS DIGGING

A DEN FROM SAND OR GRAVEL.

THIS WOLF'S SKULL SHOWS OTHER
SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS.

WOLVES HAVE 42 TEETH.

THE LARGE CANINE TEETH CAN BE
ONE AND A HALF INCHES LONG.

THESE CANINES ARE THE TOOLS THAT
HELP A WOLF HOLD ITS PREY.

THE FRONT INCISORS ARE USED
TO PULL MEAT AWAY FROM THE BONE,

AND THE BACK TEETH ARE FOR
CUTTING AND CHEWING, MUCH LIKE

HUMAN TEETH.

THERE'S ALSO SOME LARGE MOLARS
IN THE BACK.

THE WOLF'S POWERFUL JAW MUSCLES
HELP THE LARGER MOLARS CRUSH

BONES.

LIKE DOGS AND OTHER CANINES,
WOLVES HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF

HEARING.

THEY CAN PICK UP NOISES OF A
HUMAN FROM A MILE AWAY.

ALSO A WOLF CAN MOVE ITS EARS
INDEPENDENTLY TO FOCUS ON SOUNDS

COMING FROM OTHER DIRECTIONS.

WOLVES HAVE EXCELLENT NIGHT
VISION.

AND ALTHOUGH THEY PROBABLY DON'T
SEE COLOR THE SAME WAY HUMANS

DO, WOLVES ARE MUCH BETTER AT
DETECTING MOVEMENT.

THEIR SENSE OF SMELL IS EQUALLY
AMAZING.

A WOLF CAN PICK UP A SCENT FROM
OVER A MILE AWAY.

WOLVES HUNT IN PACKS.

THIS WAY THEY CAN KILL PREY
BIGGER THAN THEMSELVES, LIKE

DEER AND ELK.

THE HUNTERS OF THE PACK ARE
USUALLY THE STRONGEST AND THE

FITTEST WOLVES.

THE OLDER WOLVES AND YOUNG PUPS
ARE LEFT BEHIND.

BUT WHEN THE PREY IS CAUGHT, THE
HUNTERS BRING IT BACK, AND ALL

THE WOLVES SHARE IN THE FEAST.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOUR MOM
COMES HOME FROM THE GROCERY

STORE.

>> ALL RIGHT! COOKIES!

>> SPRING IS THE DENNING SEASON.

EVERY MEMBER OF THE PACK HELPS
TO RAISE THE PUPS.

THIS IS UNUSUAL IN MAMMALS, BUT
IT'S A BASIC PART OF THE SOCIAL

STRUCTURE OF THE WOLFPACK.

THIS IS ALSO A BUSY TIME OF YEAR
FOR IDAHO'S WOLF BIOLOGISTS.

>> COME SPRINGTIME, ONCE WOLVES
START TO DEN, WHAT WE'LL TRY TO

DO IS INCREASE OUR MONITORING SO
THAT WE CAN TRY AND GET AN IDEA

OF WHERE THEY'RE DENNING.

>> BIOLOGIST JASON HUSSEMAN IS
FOLLOWING THE TRANSMISSION FROM

A RADIO-COLLARED WOLF.

THIS ANTENNA ON THE WING OF AN AIRPLANE PICKS UP THE SIGNAL

FROM A RADIO THAT'S ATTACHED TO A COLLAR ON THE WOLF'S NECK.

THE SIGNAL LEADS JASON TO THIS
GROUP LOPING ON A RIDGETOP.

CAN YOU SEE THEM?

ONE, TWO, THREE WOLVES ENJOYING
THE SPRING SUNSHINE.

>> YOU WANT ME TO MARK THIS?

>> JASON WILL RECORD THEIR
LOCATION AND THEN TRY TO FIND

THE DEN ON THE GROUND.

THE GOAL IS TO HAVE RADIO
COLLARS ON WOLVES IN EACH PACK

IN THE STATE.

BUT HOW DO YOU CATCH A WOLF?

BIOLOGIST MICHAEL LUCID HAS A
YOUNG MALE WOLF CAUGHT IN A

LEG-HOLD TRAP BAITED WITH DOG
FOOD.

NOW HE JUST NEEDS TO PUT THE
WOLF ASLEEP SO THEY CAN PUT THE

COLLAR ON.

>> I'M GOING TO DISTRACT THE
WOLF FROM BELOW, AND STEVE WILL

INJECT THE WOLF WITH A DRUG FROM
ABOVE.

>> HEY, HEY.

DID YOU GET HIM?

>> SOON THE WOLF IS ASLEEP, AND
THE BIOLOGISTS FIT HIM WITH A

RADIO COLLAR.

THEY CHECK HIS TEETH.

THIS HELPS THE SCIENTISTS
DETERMINE THE AGE OF THE WOLF.

THEN THEY PUT IN EAR TAGS SO
THAT, WHEN THE RADIO STOPS

WORKING IN A FEW YEARS, THEY'LL
STILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY HIM.

THEN MICHAEL GIVES THE WOLF
ANOTHER SHOT TO WAKE HIM UP.

SOON HE'LL JOIN HIS PACK MATES
AND ONCE AGAIN BEGIN HUNTING

OTHER ANIMALS FOR FOOD.

SO NEXT TIME YOU SEE A WOLF OR
OTHER PREDATOR IN THE WILD,

DON'T THINK IT'S MEAN JUST
BECAUSE IT EATS OTHER ANIMALS.

PREDATORS ARE JUST DOING WHAT
NATURE INTENDED.

OH.

AND IT MIGHT HELP TO REMEMBER
YOU'RE A PREDATOR, TOO.

>> MMMM!

(howling)