Sharing is not caring at Yellowstone National Park… in fact, it doesn’t appear like it’s even an option.
Most people would assume that the biggest part of the battle out in the wild is bringing down the prey. I’d argue that the real battle starts once the predator has to defend its kill – or its opportunistic discovery – from other predators. That’s what plays out in this intense video out of Yellowstone involving a wolf and a sizable grizzly bear.
This footage showcases the constant game that animals out in the wild have to play. It’s not a fun game necessarily. Instead, wildlife are always in a state of needing to be one step ahead, and always being on the lookout for potential danger. There was what looks to be a bison carcass up for grabs, and it appears that both a grizzly bear and a wolf found it at about the same time.
In case you didn’t know… there’s no finder’s keepers rule out in the wild.
Typically, a wolf wouldn’t test its luck fighting against a grizzly bear. Grizzlies are known to be some of the fiercest animals on the planet. They’ve got razor-sharp claws and incomparable strength, and they are often the ones that are scaring off wolves from carcasses. Oh, and did I mention that they usually weigh between 400 to 1,000 pounds? They’re true apex predators in every aspect.
Wolves are impressive predators in their own right, but they definitely wouldn’t be favorited if odds makers laid out a fight between the canine and the grizzly. In fact, a grizzly bear would be the undoubtable favorite in just about any face off you could think of. That’s what makes this video out of Yellowstone that much more fascinating.
Even though the wolf knows it’s outmatched, it still tries to grab a few bites from the carcass that the bear is munching on. For a moment, it even looked like the wolf and the grizzly were content to share the meal. That moment was fleeting though, because it quickly became clear that the bear wasn’t interested in sharing the carcass.
A quick swing of a paw that blasted down into the waterway sent the wolf backpedaling a bit. However, the offensive move by the grizzly wasn’t enough to make the canine give up completely on the pursuit of the waterlogged dinner. It took a couple of bites at the bear as it growled, and once it actually sunk its teeth into the grizzly (maybe for a millisecond), the bear was officially ready to make this dinner for two a lonely meal for one.
Once the bear really showed off its power – charging and swinging and growling all at the same time – the wolf got the memo. After that, it was officially the grizzly’s dinner, and his alone. The wolf put up a valiant fight, but it was going to have to find another food source. This grizzly bear had officially staked its claim, and you can watch that incredible process play out in the video below that was captured by wildlife photographer Julie Argyle:
