REVIEWS OF WOLF PROGRAMS : Most Extreme: Leaders and Prehistoric Predators: Dire Wolves Reviews

Here is reviews of Wolf Programs.

1) The first is called Most Extreme:
Leaders and it was aired originally
in 2007.

It covered which species had
the most 'extreme' leaders.

The first one that was covered
out of ten was Wolves. They start
with a video that is alot
like propoganda films.
And it talks about how democracy
is great, but it isn't practiced
in Nature. And that
violence is used instead.

It is strange because the Most
Extreme TV series makes creatures
look like they are out of control
but admires them at the same time.

The program goes on to say that might makes
right for leader of packs.

The program is rather inaccurate
since the beginning of it.

It said that the
Alpha Male Wolf is the top Dog. And
calls all the shots. Wrong. It is
both genders of the Alpha pair that
do. Both the Alpha pair coordinate
hunts, and the Alpha male keeps an
eye on the males and the Alpha female
with the females.

It talked about how pack members work
to get prey that is 10x their size and attack at all
sides and prey is required.

Dominance in the pack is vital and the
Alpha male (and they forget female)
keeps his tail up and stands over
subordinates. Subordinates roll over on their backs
with their ears back in grin.
The subordinate also licks the muzzle of boss
mimicking pups for food indicating submision.

Wolves it goes on to say has powerful jaws
that could kill own, which is why the
Alpha's flare their teeth when things
get heated between the pack.

Since Wolves rarely attack one another due
to the fact that they are family, and parents
find ways to make boundaries with their
children, Wolves do the same. So how is THAT
violent or might. IT isn't. Wolf packs
are family and fights within the pack
and dominance aren't usually fatal, or
brutally violent to the point the program
makes it seem to be in the beginning of it.

The program said then the roles changed
100,000 years ago when Humans appeared and Wolves
were adopted into their way of life.

Like Humans there are perks to being a
boss, you get food first. And you get
to be a parent.

The Alpha's have to lead in front against
intruders and only controls a small group.
It got number 10 since Wolves only
control a small group compared to millions
that others control on
the countdown.

CONCLUSION:

The Most Extreme series is rather over
dramatic and tends to make it seem
that Animals are out of control and
totally irrational and alien. Animals
are different. But different ways of
thought and how they live doesn't
make them ravaging beings that are
mindless and out of control. Just because
a ruling system isn't democratic
doesn't make it wrong. In fact is
America democratic? There are those
who say no and that America is more of
an empire of sorts.

Although some of the facts were right
the one about the Alpha Male being
dominant solely of the pack is an
outdated 'fact' by many years. And this
program aired in 2007.

So this series really isn't the best
one out there. But usually most Wolf
documentaries, don't suit Wolves well
in conveying facts and the truth.

Rating: 1/5

2) The second is Prehistoric Predators: Dire
Wolves, that was on the National Geographic
Channel.

Now most of their programs as of late
haven't been the best, such as Wolves
in Yellowstone, Secret Yellowstone,
and especially the horrid, A Man Among
Wolves.

However PP: Dire Wolves is a part of
a three part series of programs about
Short-Faced Bears and Sabretooth Cats.

Dire Wolves (Cainus Dirus) goes back to 100,000
years ago where they were dominant
and focused on their lifestyles
as well as constantly asking what
led to their extinction.

There were many facts that were fascinating
that were talked about in this film.

They lived in North America as far
as Alaska, to Florida and
even Central America.

Dire Wolves used to hunt in packs of
at least 30 animals. And they would
often go after prey 10 times it's size.

They also would go (in contrast to
Gray Wolves) after the strongest
of prey animals. They even ate bones
to survive as well.

Dire Wolves were 5 ft. nose to tail, and
were on average about 2 ft. tall.
And they weighed about 150 lbs.

They ruled first over the Gray Wolves
until their extinction.

Dire Wolves' behavior as well as
appearance were similar to Gray
Wolves. But there were stark
contrasts as well.

Dire Wolves had a bigger skull
and jaw. It had a stronger bite
for Bison and Horses. It's upper
arms and two lower bones are similar
to the Gray Wolf but they were longer
and thicker.

The Dire Wolf weighed about 70
more pounds than the Gray Wolf.

Whereas the Gray Wolf is sleeker
and fleeter of foot.

Alot of this information was taken
from finding many of their skeletons
in the La Brea Tar Pits out in
Los Angeles. Molten asphalt rose
to the surface and would cool.
But in the summer it would become
a death trap.

The Pits were discovered about 100 years
ago.

The program was also fascinating because
it illustrated how in Nature, Animals
use their physiology to determine their
attack strategy on their prey.

Gray Wolves would use their weight
as well as their mouths to attack
prey.

Dire Wolves by comparison had the ability to
do the same but had weight in addition to
more of a ferocious attack as well.

They tried to simulate how this would
be possible by using trained
Guard Dogs. And had them bite a
device that would detect pressure
of a Dog's bite and used a variety
of breeds and used in particular,
breeds that were somewhat related.

The program showed how Gray Wolves
take down prey and compare that
to Dire Wolves.

Gray Wolves make Elk flee in multiple
directions and would do the same.
They would find the sick, weak, old,
or exhausted Elk, and would attack
that Animal, and close in.

Rallying even when on the losing end
is something they do too. Their success
rate of hunting is low, usually 1 to 10.

Dire Wolves on the other hand
would hunt the largest prey
and still hunted in packs. The
lead Wolf would make a big risk
to attack it's target alone before
the others jumped in to help the kill.

The Dire Wolf through the use of
stable istopic analysis at the
Stable Isotopic Analysis at U.C.
Santa Cruz, found the types of creatures
they would eat by taking isotopes
from the jaws and teeth of Dire
Wolves. They would detect the isotopes of the
animals the Dire Wolves would eat.

They were the large prey. The scientists
in the film said it would be due
to the fact they needed more food or
took on the most powerful prey intentionally
for another reason.

Gray Wolves interestingly enough
haven't changed evolutionary, much
like Sharks, since they have been
around.

In this program it showed also the
duels how Gray Wolves would even
corner Bison trapped in snow
and enter 36 hour duels with
some of them.

It was even more dangerous for
Dire Wolves who fought
bigger prey, even with super packs.

Many of the Dire Wolf skeletons
found had broken bones and
even one survived on average
for 4 years after getting
a severe kick to the head that
left it debilitated. Which
means that other Dire Wolves
took care of it.

The program said that modern
Wolves don't care of their
own like that. That's
not necessarily true....

Alot of the bones found showed
injuries that would have resulted
to conflicts in the packs and
Dire Wolves much like Gray Wolves
had alphas in their packs that were
represented by female and male
alphas. This of course contradicts
the old theory which shows like
Most Extreme: Leaders tries to
propogate by saying that Wolf
Packs have an Alpha Male as the
leader solely.

Dire Wolf pups were not found
in Tar Pits because much like
Gray Wolves, they kept their
pups in rendezvous points to
protect them. The Dire Wolves
would hunt and bring back
food for them.

The times back then are similar
to now as well. Dire Wolves
had rivals for their food.
Just as Wolves nowadays have
to contend with Bears as rivals,
Dire Wolves faced Short-Faced Bears
and Dire Wolves.

It's been concluded that in encounters
with Short Faced Bears (10ft. tall),
they would withdrawl from the site,
in the case
of a Sabertooth Cat, if they had
the entire pack, they wouldn't back
down. In a one on one battle, the
Dire Wolf would be forced to flee.
Sabertooth Cats were 600 lbs.

Dire Wolf physiology and tactics would
allow for the quick consumption of food
as a result. And would tear flesh
with it's jaws and swallow it whole
since it's back teeth were for tearing,
not chewing.

As powerful and successful as
Dire Wolves were, their life on
Earth came to an end that happened
for many reaons.

18,000 years ago glaciers fell, and
forests became drier. Many of the large
animals couldn't survive that. But
that didn't as scientists speculate
wipe out the Dire Wolf. They also say
it was in combination with two other
events.

One was how about 10,000 years ago,
a comet exploded over earth. Fossil
records support that.

Also Humans around this
time decimated to extinction
many prey animals that were around
at that time and introduced many
diseases into the environment.

It was a disaster and the Dire
Wolf couldn't survive. The Gray
Wolf managed to avoid for longer,
the impacts of Humans.

Gray Wolves did this because they
were designed to hunt many smaller
types of prey. Not just big ones.
Such as Bison, Rabbits, Mice and
Even Fish.

The program darkly ends by saying that your
merits as a species can seal your
fate if you are not careful and
you must watch out for that.

CONCLUSION:

This program was very informative
and fascinating about the Dire
Wolf, which was well focused on.

It's great to see alot of facts
revealed about the Gray Wolves'
predecessor and what led to their
end.

And the stark end illustrated
in part by mankind showed what
was to come with Humans impact
on the environment and the
world, and how to this day
that is uncertain.

As far as species must adapt
despite merits, well sometimes
we don't have the chance or
the time to do so, and despite
our our attempts to do so,
we can still be defeated.
But the effort to survive
still is noble despite this.

Overall it was a stunning
program with lots of twists
and the narrator was not
drab, but kept you interested
in the topic at hand.

Definitely recommended.

Rating: 4/5

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