The Pack Video

I went to the San Diego Zoo twice over the semester and each time the African wild dogs were off exhibit, so here is a video on predatory behavior from National Geographic instead. It follows the lives of the Sheean Pack who live in the iMfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa.

National Geographic. (2011). The Pack: Wild Dogs & Lions [DVD]. Available from 

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/dvds/animals-and-nature/animals-and-wildlife/the-pack%3A-wild-dogs-%26-lions-dvd-r.

Retrieved video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N-7H1sSDck&feature=related

Discussion (Spoiler Alert!)  


3 different hunting strategies:

"the skirmish"

the trap

the charge

These two video segments include "The Skirmish."

The African wild dogs were unsuccessful at making a kill when using "the skirmish" technique.


During "the skirmish," the impalas leaped and bounded away from the Sheean Pack. Impala's can leap up to 33 feet and at the end of a leap they give a high kick with their hind legs.  The dogs of the Sheean pack possibly selected a young impala as their target on the basis that it did not show this kicking behavior . This kicking behavior could possibly be part of an impala strategy that entails appearing strong and difficult to take down. The kicking possibly communicates to the predator that not only can it out run the dog, but that it can outrun the dog while conducting this kicking behavior, which does not help the animal run faster. By kicking, the impala shows off its strength or as the narrotor said, "vigor" in order to discourage the predator from selecting it. If the pack had been successful in taking down the non-kicking impala, this would have been an example of how the genes that result in the kicking behavior evolve and spread, while genes that do not fade out. This impala's genes would not have been passed on if it had been devoured by the pack before it could reproduce.