Strength and Agility Wolfblood Uncovered

How can wolfbloods run so fast and for so long?

Why are their senses so intense?

And why is family so important to them?

It all comes down to the extraordinary wild wolves

that they share so many qualities with.

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'll find out how wolves are built

and discover how their super strength

and remarkable agility make them such adaptable predators.

Because Maddy and Rhydian are wolfbloods,

they have incredible abilities, which they need to be careful to control.

When they're around their friends and they see what they're capable of,

they definitely stand out from the crowd.

Sometimes they use these skills, like their fantastic agility, on impulse.

This happened when Rhydian avoided a minor disaster in the school playground.

Tom!

If she can hide from us when she wants, that means, when we see her...

It's cos she wants us too...

Oh, no. The window!

-Sam...

-Yeah?

-Go and get Miss Graham.

All you have to do is stop the ball going in the goal.

-Football really isn't my thing.

-Just play along, mate.

Didn't you hear what I said? Stop the ball.

Or are you too cool to dive?

-Do it again.

-Don't want to embarrass you.

-Do it again.

-Jimi, take the penalty.

APPLAUSE

-What do you think, Miss?

-I think we have a new goalie.

That was a pretty impressive save,

and Rhydian's classmates were very keen for him

to start playing football with them, cos,

although he had no training, he was more agile and better than

any of them could be, so would be a great asset to the team.

This is because he's got the agility

and physical capabilities of a wild wolf.

Wolves really come into their own when it comes to athletic ability.

Like Rhydian, they're very springy,

and, when running, can cover up to five metres in a single bound.

That's from here...

..to here!

For a moment, they become airborne.

As well as jumping a long way, they can also jump pretty high,

which can come in handy when they need to defend themselves.

But their impressive agility is most important

when it comes to finding food.

Wolves are able to live in a wide range of environments -

from deserts, plains and savannas,

to forests, mountains and swamps -

so they have to be able to negotiate a huge variety of terrains.

To find food in these varied places,

they have to be able to run, climb,

trot, and even swim.

If they're not running down gigantic musk oxen and imposing elk,

they're fishing for salmon, digging for insects,

or pouncing on small mammals.

So, how are these magnificent mammals built for this varied

and physical lifestyle?

They have lean bodies,

narrow chests,

strong backs,

and long, powerful legs...

..perfect for springing forward.

And they have quite amazing feet.

Their large and long toes take most of their weight,

rather than the entire soles of their feet.

This makes them similar to hooves,

which means that they can move quickly and quietly.

But, whereas hooves aren't always suited to uneven ground,

wolves' feet are.

That's because, as opposed to their back paws,

which have four toes, their front paws have five.

But that fifth toe doesn't touch the ground.

Instead, it's used for clasping, and enables them to grip varied

and bumpy ground.

And if all that wasn't impressive enough, their paws are also

slightly webbed and they're as big as our hands so act as snowshoes...

distributing their weight more evenly,

so they don't sink into the snow.

It's not just their body shape that makes them physically capable

and able to live in such a range of environments, they're also very

intelligent, with big brains, substantially bigger than most dogs.

And they have very versatile fur, with long guard hairs that repel

moisture and a thick woolly undercoat for insulation against the cold.

When it warms up in spring, a short summer coat grows,

which helps to keep them cooler.

So it makes sense that Maddy and Rhydian aren't like normal

teenagers, cos they can turn into these awesome animals.

But there's more to their abilities than just outstanding agility.

They're also super strong,

and super strength is something else which could easily give

the secret away, so they have to be careful not to lose their temper

or let their emotions get the better of them

when having disputes with friends.

This happened to Rhydian on his very first day at school,

when he was getting a bit bullied for being the new boy.

He almost blew his cover straightaway.

BOYS GIGGLE

I thought I smelled something funny.

Is that your lunch, Welshy?

I'm not even Welsh.

Oooh!

Got a problem, leek boy?

Argh!

What on earth is going on here?! Huh?!

-What are you doing?

-It's all right.

-Get out!

-Just breathe!

You have to get out!

Argh!

I'm so sorry.

HE GROWLS

HE GROWLS

Rhydian!

Rhydian's super strength was clearly evident in that scene.

He jumped higher than these lockers, pushed Jimi onto the floor,

and caused all that damage in the dark room.

So how strong are wolves, and why do they need this extreme strength?

Wolves are the largest members of the dog family,

and go for by far the biggest prey.

They often attack, kill and eat animals that are much larger

than they are, so, to bring them down, they need to be very strong.

In North America, they regularly take on buffalo.

Buffalo can weigh over a tonne.

That's the weight of a small car, so they're a formidable opponent.

Taking on prey as big as buffalo is risky,

but these wolves have learned from each other and know how to do it.

When they get close enough, they launch themselves forward

and grasp it with their extremely powerful jaws.

The force of their bite is incredible -

three times that of a human bite -

and much greater than even the strongest of domestic dogs.

They latch on with these ferocious jaws

and use their entire body weight to drag their prey down.

They're very resilient and won't give up easily.

Even though this animal has the capacity to trample them,

they're utterly determined to keep hold of it

and use all their might to stop it from escaping.

Wolves are so strong that they can take down animals

many times their size.

That's really impressive when you think that they weigh less than I do.

They're extremely agile too.

This strength and agility makes them brilliant hunters.

The wolfbloods have a lot of fun with these special skills,

and, when used in moderation, can make school life pretty interesting.

You coming, or what?

Stop where you are!

Stop him!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd