Chapter 1 ON THE HUNT A pack of wolves runs silently through the woods It is wintertime and the snow is thick under their paws The sun shines brightly off the snow The wolf pack has been following a herd of elk for 3 miles 5 kilometers The elk catch the wolves scent and break into a run The wolves race after the herd Wolves can follow prey for a long time What is one animal they might hunt 4
The pack has been watching for the weakest member of the herd Finally they find it One elk is sick It falls behind the herd as it struggles to keep pace with the other elk The wolves spring into action The lighter females race ahead The males chase behind the elk They are quick and run across the top of the snow But the elk is much heavier Its flat hooves crunch right through the surface slowing it down An elk that cannot keep up with its herd may become a wolf's next prey 5
WOLVES WORK TOGETHER TO SEPARATE AN ELK FROM ITS HERD Capturing Prey As the wolves close in they have to be careful The elk is bigger than they are One good kick from an elk can seriously injure a wolf The females dart and dash around the large animal This confuses the elk and makes it fall farther back from the herd When the elk is completely separated the rest of the wolves attack 6
Looking for the Perfect Prey Wolves sometimes go after weak animals They are easier to catch A weak animal might be one that is sick Or it could be one that is older or simply can't keep up with the group Sometimes wolves target newborn animals that cannot run fast enough to get away However wolves also kill healthy adults Wolves use conditions such as deep snow to slow big animals down Newborn animals are not able to defend themselves against wolves making adults them easier prey than healthy
