Hardback : HK$353.00
The interactions between apex predators and their prey are some of the most awesome and meaningful in nature-displays of strength, endurance, and a deep coevolutionary history. And there is perhaps no apex predator more impressive and important in its hunting-or more infamous, more misjudged-than the wolf. Because of wolves' habitat, speed, and general success at evading humans, researchers have faced great obstacles in studying their natural hunting behaviors. The first book to focus explicitly on wolf hunting of wild prey, Wolves on the Hunt seeks to fill these gaps in our knowledge and understanding.
Combining behavioral data, thousands of hours of original field observations, research in the literature, a wealth of illustrations, and-in the e-book edition and online-video segments from cinematographer Robert K. Landis, the authors create a compelling and complex picture of these hunters. The wolf is indeed an adept killer, able to take down prey much larger than itself. While adapted to hunt primarily hoofed animals, a wolf-or especially a pack of wolves-can kill individuals of just about any species. But even as wolves help drive the underlying rhythms of the ecosystems they inhabit, their evolutionary prowess comes at a cost: wolves spend one-third of their time hunting-the most time consuming of all wolf activities-and success at the hunt only comes through traveling long distances, persisting in the face of regular failure, detecting and taking advantage of deficiencies in the physical condition of individual prey, and through ceaseless trial and error, all while risking injury or death.
By describing and analyzing the behaviors wolves use to hunt and kill various wild prey-including deer, moose, caribou, elk, Dall sheep, mountain goats, bison, musk oxen, arctic hares, beavers, and others-Wolves on the Hunt provides a revelatory portrait of one of nature's greatest hunters.
The interactions between apex predators and their prey are some of the most awesome and meaningful in nature-displays of strength, endurance, and a deep coevolutionary history. And there is perhaps no apex predator more impressive and important in its hunting-or more infamous, more misjudged-than the wolf. Because of wolves' habitat, speed, and general success at evading humans, researchers have faced great obstacles in studying their natural hunting behaviors. The first book to focus explicitly on wolf hunting of wild prey, Wolves on the Hunt seeks to fill these gaps in our knowledge and understanding.
Combining behavioral data, thousands of hours of original field observations, research in the literature, a wealth of illustrations, and-in the e-book edition and online-video segments from cinematographer Robert K. Landis, the authors create a compelling and complex picture of these hunters. The wolf is indeed an adept killer, able to take down prey much larger than itself. While adapted to hunt primarily hoofed animals, a wolf-or especially a pack of wolves-can kill individuals of just about any species. But even as wolves help drive the underlying rhythms of the ecosystems they inhabit, their evolutionary prowess comes at a cost: wolves spend one-third of their time hunting-the most time consuming of all wolf activities-and success at the hunt only comes through traveling long distances, persisting in the face of regular failure, detecting and taking advantage of deficiencies in the physical condition of individual prey, and through ceaseless trial and error, all while risking injury or death.
By describing and analyzing the behaviors wolves use to hunt and kill various wild prey-including deer, moose, caribou, elk, Dall sheep, mountain goats, bison, musk oxen, arctic hares, beavers, and others-Wolves on the Hunt provides a revelatory portrait of one of nature's greatest hunters.
Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: The Wolf as a Killing Machine Chapter 1 - White-Tailed Deer Chapter 2 - Moose Chapter 3 - Caribou Chapter 4 - Elk Chapter 5 - Mountain Sheep and Goats Chapter 6 - Bison Chapter 7 - Musk Oxen Chapter 8 - Miscellaneous Prey Conclusion Appendix: List of Scientific Names of Birds and Mammals Mentioned Literature Cited Index A Note on Accompanying Videos by Robert K. Landis Videos of wolf-prey interactions, by Robert K. Landis, are available to readers of the print book at the following URL and with these password credentials: URL: www.press.uchicago.edu/sites/wolves User name: wolves Password: hunt2015 Readers of the ebook will find the videos embedded in the text.
L. David Mech is a senior research scientist with the US Geological Survey and an adjunct professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He is the author or editor of many books, including Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, coedited by Luigi Boitani and published by the University of Chicago Press. Douglas W. Smith is currently project leader for the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Project in Yellowstone National park. He is coauthor of The Wolves of Yellowstone. Daniel R. MacNulty is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Utah State University.
"In reading Wolves on the Hunt you will learn that death has shaped
life for millions of years. You'll learn that no activity is more
important to the wolf than predation; and although it's a tough and
frustrating habit that often fails, wolves survive only because
they refuse to give up. By shedding light on these and other
important findings, Wolves on the Hunt will be incredibly valuable
to conservation scientists and citizens alike who appreciate wild
places and wild things. It's a great illustration of the constant
battle between predator and prey and of dogged determination."--Ted
Turner, Chairman, Turner Endangered Species Fund
"This exhaustive account of wolves hunting and killing wild prey
could only be compiled by the foremost wolf biologists of our
day--Drs. Mech, Smith, and MacNulty. The easy-to-read book cites
all the primary and secondary literature as well as many previously
unpublished observations. Wolves on the Hunt will not only
fascinate biologists and those teaching wildlife management but
also the general public, including outdoor, environmental, and
hunting groups. These detailed observations of predation let us
imagine the struggles that our ancestors must have encountered as
we competed with wolves to become the earth's supreme hunters of
ungulates."--Ed Bangs, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Recovery
Coordinator from 1988 to 2011
"Very detailed. Never before has the predatory behavior of any
carnivore been presented in such depth. Wolves on the Hunt is a
contribution not just to our knowledge of the wolf but to our
understanding of predation in general. The authors, experts in wolf
predatory behavior who are in the best position to interpret these
data from a scientific perspective, review a great amount of
information and add an impressive number of accounts of hunting
events observed by very few people. Their interpretations of the
appropriate literature are clear and elegant. Very well written,
easy to read both for specialists and for the general public
interested in wolves and wildlife, Wolves on the Hunt is
unique."--Juan Carlos Blanco, former adviser to the Ministry of the
Environment on the Coordinated Plan for Wolf Conservation in
Spain
"A gorgeous new book . . ., which represents in one slightly
oversized popular volume some of the most comprehensive research to
date on the way wolves hunt their prey. . . . It's written
artlessly but directly, with the aim of updating and broadening
some popular misconceptions about the way wolves operate in the
wild. As a work of natural history, neither it nor anything else
can match the lyricism of Barry Lopez's Of Wolves and Men, but as a
general-audience monograph, it's one of the most valuable works of
science-writing to appear this year. Kudos to the folks at the
University of Chicago Press for giving it such a handsome
volume."--Steve Donoghue "Open Letters Monthly"
"Across decades of writing about wolves and the science associated
with their study, I've seldom encountered a more gripping opening
to a natural history book. . . . Wolves on the Hunt is an in-depth
analysis of how wolves kill prey to survive. This new book could
not come at a better time. Even though the year is 2015 there
remains in the American West some pretty puritanical notions about
alleged wolf behavior that have little basis in reality. . . .
Mech, considered the world's foremost wolf authority, and his
colleagues deliver a hair-raising and at times grim narrative about
how lobos stalk. . . . No matter what lobo camp you're in, you'll
find Wolves on the Hunt to be endlessly fascinating reading."--Todd
Wilkinson "Jackson Hole News&Guide"
"Among the many hotly debated topics related to the appearance of
dogs in the lives of humans is how often and where it first
occurred. . . . We learn from Wolves on the Hunt that while wolves
appear excellent at finding and trailing game, they are not very
good at making the kill, succeeding perhaps half the time. It is
dangerous work at which humans with their weapons excel. Imagine
the scene: Human hunters locate wolves on the hunt by watching
ravens who are known to follow them. Human hunters move in for the
kill and take as many animals as they can. If smart, they might
share immediately with the wolves. If not, the wolves might consume
what the humans do not carry off or follow them back to their
encampment to take what they can. The rest is a tale of
accommodation through socialization--the ability to bond with
another being--and all that entails."--Mark Derr "The Bark"
"Fascinating. . . . Loaded with first-hand accounts of the various
stages of gray wolf (Canis lupus) hunting, chronicled throughout
mostly North America, the book is illustrated with a captivating
collection of photographs and informative comparison data charts. .
. . A celebration of . . . the emerging knowledge base about
wolves."--David Kline "International Wolf"
"To be honest, I was a bit giddy having the opportunity to review
Wolves on the Hunt. . . . The book is a fascinating account. . . .
Each chapter is extremely detailed and exhaustive, covering all
known wolf prey and how they hunt them. This truly is the capstone
to first author Mech's outstanding >55 year career studying
wolves, and the painstaking time involved in writing this
all-encompassing book on wolf predation with first-hand . . .
descriptions of wolves hunting various prey is a tribute to all
three authors. It takes endless hours of dedication and
perseverance to make these observations."--Jonathan (Jon) Way,
Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research "Canadian Field-Naturalist"
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