Hunting 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

'about the surprising diversity of a wolf's diet

'and discover the huge range of skills they use to hunt

'and capture their prey.'

Because Maddy and Rhydian are wolfbloods,

they often stand out from their friends.

They have better hearing and they're much stronger and faster,

but they're different in other ways too.

Wolfbloods need to eat meat, and a lot of meat at that.

So, when Rhydian was in the lunch queue at school

and wasn't able to see meat on the menu, he was getting desperate

and couldn't even concentrate on what Maddy was saying.

Can you just come for dinner tonight?

Mam and Dad, they want to talk to us about...

wolfing out safely.

I know it's really, really embarrassing, but erm...

-we should just get it out of the way.

-Out of the way, yeah.

And then when you change, me and Mam are going to braid your hair.

With ribbon...

and take pictures.

Cool.

You're not even listening to us, are you?

Sorry, do you know what's on the menu?

I think Wednesday is veggie day.

-Meat.

-Where?

-You got cravings.

They're vegetarians, Maddy.

My foster parents. Vegetarian.

Well, Wednesday is hog roast night.

You know, where you get a whole pig and roast it with all the trimmings.

-A whole pig?

-Fancy it?

-Yeah.

-Cool.

I can't look at another vegetable.

Madeline, leave some for Rhydian.

Mam, I think he'll live.

Your mother's gone to a lot of trouble for this.

After all,

-the

-STAKES

-are high.

-Stop it, you silly

-SAUSAGE.

No, seriously, you two better stop that.

-Hey, I

-HAM

-stopping.

Right, that's it, I'm calling him, he's not coming.

-KNOCK ON DOOR

-Oh, that'll be him.

Rhydian! I'm Daniel, come on in.

-Pleased to

-MEAT

-you.

Help yourself, mate. Have as much as you like.

Living in a house of vegetarians was hardly ideal

for a wolfblood like Rhydian.

So when Maddy invited him round for hog roast,

he ate everything he could get his hands on.

Eating meat is clearly a key part of life as a wolfblood

because they're carnivores, just like wolves in the wild.

But do wolves rely on just one source of food?

Or is their diet more varied than that?

'The range of prey that wolves eat is huge

'and depends on the time of year and where they live.

DUCK QUACKS

'The food they like best is large hoofed animals such as elk,

'moose, buffalo, and antelope.

'They'll also eat much smaller animals,

'such as arctic hares and beavers.

'But wolves are opportunists and they can't afford to be fussy.

'They have an amazing ability to locate food.

'Any food.

'Wolves that live near the coast have been known to

'scavenge on beached whale.

'They've been seen looking for mussels and snatching sea birds.

'They'll also take fish from rivers and even eat insects,

'plants and berries.

'They chomp their food down quickly, otherwise

'it might be stolen by scavengers.

'And, just like Rhydian,

'if wolves haven't eaten meat for a long time, they'll gorge on it.

'They can consume up to nine kilograms in one meal,

'which is like eating 80 burgers in one go.

'They need to be able to do this

'because catching large prey isn't easy

'and it might be as much as two weeks before the next big meal.'

So it's no surprise that Rhydian

wolfed down his food at Maddy's house,

but it's not always that easy to get meat

when the cravings hit, and hit hard.

MADDY GROWLS

'When Shannon gave Maddy one of her mum's homeopathic remedies to cure

'her cold, she started to transform into a wolf,

'making her meat cravings very difficult to ignore.'

Meat!

'She began to hunt down Shannon,

'who was taking meat out into the forest to attract her monster.

Meat, meat.

Meat! Meat!

'Fortunately, Rhydian realised something was up.'

Maddy...

This is perfect.

We are so going to see the beast tonight.

MADDY GROWLS

Meat!

Stop! Did you hear that?

Is that you, Rhydian?

Oh.

Very funny. Hilarious.

You've scared the beast off now.

Rhydian was able to give Maddy some thistle root as a cure

to change her back to her normal self just in time.

Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't been there to stop her?

Now, wolves are excellent hunters and this is part of the reason why.

Just look at those incredible teeth.

There's 42 of them in total, we only have 32.

Now, that is not something you'd want coming at you at full speed,

but that is just what happens during the hunt.

'Wolves tend to work together in a group when it comes to finding

'and bringing down prey.

'And success depends completely on picking out the right target.

'Select the wrong animal and it can end up being pretty painful,

'as this wolf found out when taking on a buffalo.'

'This buffalo is very big to tackle alone...

'..and with a closer look, the wolf makes a good decision.

'Prey will even fight back,

'especially if they've got young to protect.

'Here, two wolves are trying to take down this musk ox calf

'and the whole herd comes to the rescue.

'The wolves sensibly back off.

'Injuries can be life threatening.

'If they don't find a suitable target,

'wolves will give up the hunt rather than risk getting hurt.

'So not many hunts are successful -

'sometimes as few as one in ten end in a kill.

'To help them select the best target,

'wolves want their prey to be on the move.

'This is because when animals are running, it's much easier for

'wolves to spot the weak, diseased, young or older members of the herd.'

'In this hunt, the wolves have pinpointed a potential victim,

'a young female elk about five times as heavy as they are.

'But the pack has noticed something which makes her vulnerable.

'She's got a bony growth on her leg,

'possibly from a kick or a fall in the past,

'and now she's slightly lame.

'This amazing ability to spot weakness

'puts the wolf in the premier league of killers.'

'After a long pursuit, the elk is exhausted

'and that injured leg means she can't maintain her speed.

'Two wolves have latched on, the rest of them

'join in, and the elk is brought down.

'But once they've caught their prey,

'how are these extraordinary animals able to eat it,

'getting through tough skin and skeleton?

'As well as their teeth - perfect for crunching through bone -

'the wolves have an incredibly powerful jaw,

'with a crushing power three times greater than ours.

'And their neck muscles are also extremely strong.

'They bite in, brace themselves back using their front legs and use their

'entire body weight to shake their head from side to side,

'wrenching out pieces of meat.

'They devour the soft parts first, then the flesh

'and they'll even consume the bones.

'And with big kills, they'll eat on and off for days

'until there's almost nothing left.'

Wolves are extremely efficient predators

and at the top of their game.

And even though wolfbloods don't have to hunt for their food,

their craving for meat is still the same.

It needs to be satisfied if they want to keep out of trouble.

Most people cook it first.

-You smell those burgers?

-Maddy, no!

-I'm starving.

-Maddy, no!

-I need meat!

-You're not going in there.

Can't you smell it?

-You need the bathroom.

-I need meat!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd