Speed and Stamina Wolfblood Uncovered

How can Wolfbloods run so fast and for so long?

Why are their senses so intense?

SHE SNIFFS

And why is family so important to them?

It all comes down to the extraordinary wild wolves

that they share so many qualities with.

-HE HOWLS

-In this series, we'll uncover the truth about wolves

and reveal just why Wolfbloods are the way that they are.

This is Wolfblood Uncovered.

In this episode, we discover how wolves

can keep running for miles yet still have an incredible sprint finish.

Being a Wolfblood makes my character, Rhydian,

and his friend Maddy different to their friends,

because they can transform into wolves

and use wolf-like abilities during their day-to-day lives.

One of the skills they share with the wolves is being able

to run very long distances without ever really getting tired.

Now, that's incredibly useful - never more so than

when you need to help get your friends out of trouble.

Just like when Tom and Shannon were out in the woods

looking for the monster and there was a wild Wolfblood on the loose.

You know what? I think we should go. Look, the fog's getting thicker -

we clearly aren't going to see anything.

Look! Shannon took it the other day.

I thought it was Rhydian because I didn't know about wild Wolfbloods.

-Where did they go?

-To the woods - here.

-Yeah, but where? Where's here?

-I can't explain, but I can't find it.

-No - you two stay here.

-We're coming with you.

-You're staying right here.

If there's a wild Wolfblood out there, we'll sniff it out.

This is ridiculous. I know where they are.

-Mum and Dad know what they're doing.

-What, in their car?

If that wolf's out there, he's using his senses and he's going to hunt down Tom and Shannon.

We can get there first.

You're right. But no wolfing out. Shannon's got a camera.

Miles away, Tom and Shannon were still on the lookout.

That's a big badger, Shannon.

It's really close. Six o'clock.

-No, it's nearly seven.

-No! I meant it's right behind us.

THEY YELL AND LAUGH

-Your faces!

-You idiots! You're not funny!

Have you found the monster yet?

-No! Thanks to you. You probably scared it off.

-Oh, please!

Yeah, what kind of monsters would be scared of us?

HOWLING

What-what was that?

It was just a dog. It must have wandered into the woods.

It's not a dog. It's the monster! It's my monster.

-I'm not hanging around to find out.

-Look! If you run it'll chase you.

THEY YELL

Are you OK? Well, we would be if you would stop jumping out at us!

Rhydian and Maddy were able to beat Maddy's parents in the car

without even getting out of breath, by drawing on their wolf stamina

to keep running for long enough.

Wolves can keep on the move across all different types

of landscapes, sometimes up to 45 miles in 24 hours.

That's like running an ultra-marathon day after day.

Now, that's pretty amazing, but

how did these astonishing animals achieve such astonishing feats?

Well, this wolf skull, with its long muzzle, gives us a clue.

The long muzzle and the shape of the inner nose means more oxygen

can get into the blood so wolves don't tire as quickly.

And that's not the only reason they're brilliant

over long distances.

Long legs allow them to cover the ground quickly and easily,

and because the elbows turn inward,

their body weight is precisely balanced over their feet.

This means they can travel over the toughest terrain

without wasting precious energy.

Large feet spread their weight so they don't sink into soft snow,

and that gives them an edge over their prey.

Lots of tiny blood vessels create heat pads in the paws

so they can keep going,

even when the temperature drops well below freezing.

A narrow chest makes them more streamlined when they run through

snow, and that chest contains big lungs and a large heart.

But they don't just travel huge distances on land.

The webbing between their feet makes them excellent swimmers.

They've been known to swim up to eight miles in one go.

So they're the ultimate travellers,

but why do they need this super stamina?

It's because their prey is spread out over huge areas,

so they have to travel far and wide just to find it.

Over mountains, through snow

and across rivers.

In winter, wolves can spend up to half of their time on the move.

Keeping a steady pace - around 5mph -

they save energy by using existing animal tracks

or travelling in single file through deep snow,

with one wolf breaking the trail, and the rest following behind.

Even when they find their prey, like these caribou,

the wolves can't always immediately go in for the kill.

They sometimes have to follow a herd all day and all night

until they panic the animals into running.

Wolves need their prey to be moving quickly

so they can identify the right target.

When prey is running,

the wolves can pick out the old, the young or the ill.

Sometimes identifying these weaker members can take several miles,

so their staying power is essential to find

and pinpoint their target, to be in with the chance of securing a meal.

But they also need incredible stamina to keep on top

of their territory -

the area where they live and hunt for food.

The land belonging to a single pack can cover hundreds of square miles,

and it's important to patrol it pretty regularly to make sure

rival wolves don't start taking prey from their patch.

So it's not hard to see why Rhydian and Maddy are able to run

and run and hardly break into a sweat, but it's not

just stamina that's key to helping Wolfbloods get what they want.

It's also their explosive bursts of speed.

Rhydian, using his wolf-like abilities,

is often able to mystify his classmates with impressive

speed, turning a difficult situation into his advantage.

Just like when he was wrongly accused of smashing up

the school's art project,

and suddenly realised who was really to blame.

HE GASPS

Push off, Leek Boy.

-I just want to know why you did it!

-Get lost!

-Did you do all that damage just to get me into trouble?

-No!

You've had it in for me since I arrived! You said I was here that night!

You think everything's about you, don't you? Poor little orphan boy!

You don't know how lucky you are!

No-one telling you you're not good enough,

you're a disappointment.

If that's family, who needs one?

Next time you lose your temper, smash up your own things.

Rhydian's wolf-like lightning pace around school

meant he could get Jimi to admit responsibility for causing all that damage,

so it's a pretty useful skill for a teenage Wolfblood to have, but it's

no wonder Rhydian was so quick, because wolves really are fast.

Over short distances, they can reach speeds up to 35mph.

That's quicker than you're allowed to drive around town.

If a wolf was running at top speed from here to the school

about 100m away, it could do it in just over six seconds.

That's a lot quicker than your average human.

When wolves are running flat-out, they're nearly 10mph quicker

than the world's fastest sprinters.

They cover the ground quickly

because they can move in great bounds.

Each bound can be 5 metres...

..about the length of a school minibus.

And it's their maximum speed that helps them finish off the hunt.

Once they've identified their target,

they accelerate to top pace to go in for the final attack.

It's a truly deadly combination.

They use their stamina to find and identify the right target

and their speed to make the kill.

So Wolfbloods owe all their impressive speed and stamina

to the wolves in the wild, which gives them both a great advantage

over their rivals and marks them out as extraordinary athletes

in their own world.

Next time you miss the bus, you can walk to school.

If I ran, I'd get here before the bus.

Stop where you are!

Grab him!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd