ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
INTRODUCTION
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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The density of prey animals, measured in number of organisms per square kilometer, in the habitats of pack wolves and solitary wolves.
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Hunting success, measured in kilograms of meat per individual per week, for wolves that hunt in packs and those that are solitary hunters.
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The return on investment in hunting for the average wolf, measured in calories expended for hunting, divided by calories obtained in prey animals.
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The number of different predator species in the habitat as compared to the number of different prey species.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Most wolves hunt in packs while some individuals live and hunt alone. What data would support the claim that hunting as a group provides an advantage? The density of prey animals, measured in number of organisms per square kilometer, in the habitats of pack wolves and solitary wolves.
Detailed explanation-2: -A pack hunter or social predator is a predatory animal which hunts its prey by working together with other members of its species.
Detailed explanation-3: -Living in groups provides animals with many benefits. A large group of animals is less likely to be bothered by predators, there are more females to care for and protect the young, and more members to look for food sources. Working together provides them with more opportunities for survival than living alone does.
Detailed explanation-4: -Despite these coordinated efforts, wolves still only succeed in securing a kill in about 15% of attempted hunts, with studies from various locations and prey type showing a range of 5-28%. Because of this high rate of failure, wolves spend about a third of their time hunting.
Detailed explanation-5: -In reality, many animal species such as zebra, wildebeest, deer, fish and various insects, aggregate in groups forming flocks, herds, schools and swarms for the benefit of avoiding interaction with grievous predators and searching for food efficiently [8].