Wolves lose their predatory edge in mid-life

Washington, October 27 (ANI): A new study has indicated that wolves lose their predatory edge when they are about two to three years old, which is mid life for the animals.

The study was done by Dan MacNulty, a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Biological Sciences' Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and colleagues.

He carried out the study at the Yellowstone National Park in the US, where he found that although most wolves in the area live to be nearly six years old, their ability to kill prey peaks when they are two to three.

The finding challenges a long-held belief that wolves are successful predators for their entire adult lives.

It now appears that like human athletes, they are only at the top of their game for about 25 percent of that time.

It also shows that physiology can limit predation.

"Wolves are not perfect predators," said MacNulty. "They lack physical characteristics to kill prey swiftly, so they rely on athletic ability and endurance, which diminishes with age. They're like 100-meter sprinters. They need to be in top condition to perform," he added.

By comparison, mountain lions, with their short snouts, powerful muscles and retractable claws, are designed to kill. Not surprisingly, they live and hunt alone.

In Yellowstone, wolves, who hunt in packs, depend on elk for survival.

The finding is timely because the park's elk population is shrinking and wolves are being blamed.

Wolves were hunted out of the area in the 1930s and re-introduced in 1995. But, the study shows there isn't a strong correlation between the number of wolves in the park and the number of elk killed.

MacNulty said that number fluctuates based on the age structure of the wolf population at any given time.

The higher the proportion of wolves over age three, the lower the rate at which they kill elk.

For every 10 percent rise in the proportion of wolves older than three, the kill rate declined 10 to 15 percent.

MacNulty's next step is to create mathematical models to study the long-term effects of fluctuations in the age structure of Yellowstone's wolf population on the elk population. (ANI)