This video can be entered into the evidence file for “domestic dogs definitely evolved from wild wolves.”
If you have ever seen a dog play around with a chew toy, and try to get you to tug it away from them, that’s basically what we’re looking at here. However, this bear doesn’t have a chew toy, but rather is “chewing” on a dead animal carcass that it retrieved from the water.
Yellowstone National Park is one of the few places in North America where two apex predators, the grizzly bear and the gray wolf, regularly clash over resources. Since wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995, the dynamic between these two species has become one of the most fascinating predator rivalries in the natural world.
Every year, millions of visitors and wildlife photographers flock to the park hoping to get a look at these beasts in action.
Competition for Food
The root of the conflict usually comes down to one thing… elk carcasses. And if you’ve ever had an elk steak, you know why… it’s delicious. But it’s also nutritious… the kind of high-protein meal that these predators need to survive.
Wolves are cursorial hunters, meaning they rely on pack coordination and stamina to chase down and kill large prey like deer, elk and sometimes even bison. Grizzly bears, on the other hand, are opportunistic omnivores. While they are fully capable of hunting, and many of us think of that when we think of the mighty grizzly, taking down an adult elk requires a massive expenditure of energy.
For a hungry grizzly, especially one just emerging from winter hibernation, it is much easier to let a pack of wolves do the hard work and then simply steal their kill.
This is known as kleptoparasitism, and in Yellowstone, grizzlies are the undisputed masters of it. Because a mature male grizzly can weigh upwards of 500 to 700 pounds, while an adult gray wolf maxes out around 100 to 110 pounds, the wolves simply cannot match the bear in a physical fight. When a grizzly smells a fresh wolf kill, it will usually march right in and claim the carcass.
And that doesn’t mean wolves won’t try top take it back, but it generally requires a bit more finesse than the bear displayed to claim it.
Simply put, wolves have to rely on their superior intelligence, speed, and pack tactics to get their food back. When a bear takes over a carcass, the wolf pack will employ a highly coordinated strategy of harassment and luring to steal bites of meat.
The wolf pack will generally surround the feeding grizzly, fanning out in a complete, 360-degree circle. This forces the bear to constantly spin and check its blind spots, preventing it from eating in peace.
One or two wolves, often the faster, younger members of the pack, will intentionally make themselves targets. They will step aggressively close to the bear, barking or nipping at its hindquarters to infuriate the massive animal.
Once the bear loses its temper, it will charge the decoy wolves. The wolves will stay just out of reach, purposefully leading the enraged grizzly on a short chase away from the carcass. The second the bear leaves the carcass to chase the decoys, the rest of the wolf pack rushes in. They don’t try to drag the massive elk away; instead, they frantically tear off as much meat as they can swallow in a few seconds. Grab a few bites and go.
As soon as the grizzly realizes it has been tricked, it abandons the chase and charges back to defend the carcass, scattering the wolves. The pack then resets their circle and starts the whole infuriating process over again.
This exhausting game of cat-and-mouse can go on for hours, and usually, the bear will get to keep the carcass, but the wolves will get enough of a meal to satisfy them for the day. Of course, it would be easier, and far less exhausting for both sides if they could just share in the spoils, but that’s not how it works out in nature.
Here’s a great example of a wolf trying to lure the bear away… in a rather playful, very domestic dog-like fashion. And wildlife photographer, Trevor LaClair, just happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch all of this on camera.
LaClair runs a website called Trekking With Trevor, and posted the video of this playful wolf interacting with the grizzly on the website’s Instagram account. LaClair describes the process of how they stumbled upon the nature scene in the post’s caption, stating:
“During an early morning drive in Yellowstone, we stopped at a nearby carcass that had a grizzly bear on it. As we grabbed out cameras to get into position, a distant howl echoed across the valley.
I was ecstatic knowing that there were wolves nearby. While photographing the bear, I noticed a single black wolf trotted down the hill toward the bear. Three more soon appeared. Two of the wolves approached the grizzly, hoping to get a taste of the carcass the bear pulled out of the frozen pond.”
That must’ve been an incredible experience to witness the wolves moving in on the grizzly bear grubbing. One might have thought that the wolves would get violent trying to take the carcass away from the bear, but it turns out it was quite the opposite.
LaClair describes that an initial approach by one of the wolves was countered by the bear lunging after it. The playful wolf must have seen that and said “hold on, I got this.”
That is where the video picks up, as the wolf is playfully bouncing around in an effort to distract or lure the bear away from the meat. Or, who knows, maybe the wolf was in a good mood and wanted to play a friendly game of tag with the massive bear.
The wildlife photographer went on to describe the incident:
“One of the wolves got too close and the bear lunged at it as a warning. However, the wolf viewed it as an opportunity to lure the bear away and began play bowing and bouncing around.
This was the cutest and best thing I have ever seen. It was hard not to laugh at this interaction.”
I can confirm that the wolf “messing around” with the bear was indeed “cute.” I have to remind myself that under the right circumstances, that wolf could tear me apart.
However, this one might be a little different from all the other wild wolves based on its lighthearted approach with the grizzly (and the fact that it is wagging its tail the whole time). It honestly looks like the wolf doesn’t care if it gets any of the carcass at all. I think its just happy to be there and is living its best life.
Though the video doesn’t show it, the bear eventually abandons the carcass and the two wolves began to dig in on what was left of the scraps.
The captions goes on to say:
“After a while, the grey wolf gave up and laid down nearby, waiting patiently for a piece of meat., looking like it was pouting. Eventually, the grizzly left and two of the wolves tugged at the remaining carcass. We continued to watch for a couple hours until the wolves trotted away.
This was the best wolf sighting I have ever received during all my years of guiding in the park. I was so happy to be gifted with this experience! That wolf definitely left me with a huge grin on my face. Nature is awesome!”
This bear however was smart enough to keep his eye on the prize knowing that no wolf really wants to tangle with a big grizz… one swipe of the paw could be game over for even a predator as ferocious as a wolf.
Nature is often times awesome, especially when we humans are lucky enough to witness encounters such as this one.
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