Folks tend to think of grizzly bears as the ultimate predators in North America, and for good reason. But even a grizzly bear has a tough day every now and then, especially when a couple of persistent and hungry wolves are determined to move in on a fresh kill. Montana wildlife photographer Christopher Cauble has posted a compelling and even humorous look at a young grizzly in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley defending a carcass. The bear has to contend with a couple of wolves who are working together quite shrewdly in a classic “distract-and-snatch” campaign, as well as another grizzly who wants in on the action. Even the ravens are hanging around waiting for their chance.
Filmed over the course of six hours and distilled to under 2 1/2 minutes, Cauble’s beautiful high-definition video shows the efforts Yellowstone’s predators often must make just to hang on to what they’ve already killed.