Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
And to be that close to two of the top predators in North America, in the heat of battle… you just don’t get to see that kind of thing unless you’re watching National Geographic.
When it comes to predators in North America, cougars and wolves are two of the most feared, and other than bears, nothing else can really hold a candle to them.
Wolves are known far and wide for their intelligence and pack dynamics, often hunting in a group and living together to ensure survival and protection for the group. Mature males can generally top out around 150 pounds, but some have been known to be larger.
They work in group to exhaust and overwhelm their prey, but even on their own, they are very fast and powerful. Their deadly bite is no match for many animals out there, even much larger prey such as elk, bison and moose.
Mountain lions are a whole other beast though. These large cats live most of their lives alone, lurking in the shadows. Where wolves use strength in numbers, mountain lions (also known as cougars) use the element of surprise to gain the upper hand.
Males can weigh about 150 pounds on average, however some can grow to be over 200. With a deadly combo of speed, stealth, and power, they bite hard, jump far and go straight for the kill.
On paper, it seems like those two predators match up fairly well if they were put head-to-head… but that would never happen, right?
Well, this Canadian man came across the battle of a lifetime while out in the woods of British Columbia.
While driving down a logging road the man heard racket and looked down to see a cougar and a wolf in a full on battle. He said that the wolf had the upper hand, and was winning the battle, until it let go for some reason.
Once the wolf let go, the big cat quickly turned the tables.
He tells the story best himself.
“The crunch of the spine, the first initial hit… I relive it, still. It was just the most incredible instance I ever could imagine.
The wolf and cougar were locked on side, beside their face, and the wolf had the upper hand. And then the wolf decided to let go and the cougar made one leap and nailed the wolf right between these little trees.
I could have reached out and grabbed the wolf’s leg.”
It’s a battle as old as time… cats vs dogs.
And this time, the cat won.
