# When Musk Oxen Dance With Wolves



## Damaged Goods (Nov 8, 2019)

As the wolfpack approaches, the musk oxen prepare their defense with herd members standing back-to-back and fanning out to form a circle. As the wolves get closer, they see horns only, no vulnerable rear ends or sides to attack, just horns.

Q: Does any other species use the defensive formation described above?


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## jerry old (Nov 8, 2019)

Don't know, always wondered on nature shows: antelope see lions, don't run away,  as they know they  can outrun lions.

.. The lions, hunting in packs,keep edging towards antelopes, some crawling through grass until there close enough to strike.

Antelope feels as long as they know lions are around and they can see them, they have sufficient speed to run away if lions attack.

Antelope do not look for, nor see the lion  creeping in grass.  They do not know lions are sneaky.

Always hope    antelope escape, sometimes they do.  

Musk Ox, where: Russia, far Northern China and those small nations above India, Nepal ,...don't think there in Alaska,  How about Canada?

Later:
Goggle tells me Musk Ox live in Canada, and Greenland-Greenland! would never have crossed my mind.  Started digging around for their predators-wolves and Polar Bears.  
That led to digging around wolves-information of wolves eating up  folks-lots of stuff I didn't know.

Sparse info on Musk Ox, wonder do the indigenous  people hunt them?


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## RadishRose (Nov 8, 2019)

Damaged Goods said:


> As the wolfpack approaches, the musk oxen prepare their defense with herd members standing back-to-back and fanning out to form a circle. As the wolves get closer, they see horns only, no vulnerable rear ends or sides to attack, just horns.
> 
> Q: Does any other species use the defensive formation described above?


Pretty smart! No, I know of no other animal who hide themselves like that.

Well, chameleons do change color to blend with their surroundings.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 8, 2019)

I think I read somewhere that baboons have some sort of defense they use as a group when being attached.


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## Damaged Goods (Nov 9, 2019)

They're also in Alaska, above the Arctic Circle.

Other bovines prefer other methods of dealing with wolfie.  E.g., American bison run, and invariably at least one will fall out, becoming a victim, usually an elderly bison, juvenile, or sick animal  Some bison herds stand their ground but they are disorganized, allowing wolves to attack them from the rear or sides.


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## hollydolly (Nov 9, 2019)

Although Adult Elephants have no known predators other than Man, unattended baby elephants can be prone to attack from Lions, so the adult elephants will often create  a circle around the babies for protection whenever they sense danger...


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## jerry old (Nov 9, 2019)

DG Your post triggered a memory:
I  remembered a painting of  four Russians in a sled  fleeing a wolf pack, one man is frantically whipping the horses, while the other is fighting the wolves.  I don't remember a firearm being present.  The painting was circa 1850.  
I must have been young, as the painting made an impression on me.

DG:
Question, My expertise comes from TV programs, 'Life Below Zero' which is a semi-scripted show and another Alaskan Program of families living
off the land-that is a poor source of info to find out the real deal regarding wolves in Alaska. There not mentioned as a danger. 
You have info regarding wolves in Alaska?

I know Canada is a vast land, the northern part extremely harsh: so the Musk Ox live in this Northern area?
Where do these Musk Ox hang out in Alaska?      

This comment is already to long, will close and start anothe- off topic of Musk Ox.


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## jerry old (Nov 9, 2019)

Okay, continuation of 'nice animals' dealing with predators.
Hdolly:  Watch a great deal of TV, nothing else to do...
Saw a National Geo program of two tigers attacking an elephant, obviously they would have preferred easier prey, the tigers were desperate for food..  Always considered elephants invulnerable, apparently not.
Looked at that elephant photo close-the lions are after that baby elephant.  

Also pride of lions attacking elephants, get the elephants disorganized and attempt to kill a straggler.  Didn't know some of those lion prides
will number over twenty lions.  
A lion pride consist of ONE male, not so, sometimes due to the male being much larger they will 'tolerate' two, three males.
Males being too fat to run with females, the females run the prey, males trot behind until females have cornered game
Somehow, the pride knows there going to be seeking large game that normal.
So there is communication going on in the lion pride that we've been unaware of: ...

Double RR
Hey kid, there are chameleons running loose everywhere, especially in the work place.
We call them back-biters, brown-noses, back  stabbers...The best being army slang: Cheese eating s.o.b., shortened to Cheeser


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## Damaged Goods (Nov 9, 2019)

Jerry, Sorry but all my info comes from TV.  I watch every TV show dealing with ethology, beginning with "Wild Kingdom" circa 1963.  Other than that, no real knowledge of the subject.

In Alaska and Canada, they're above the Arctic circle.  Canada allows tightly-controlled hunting expeditions.  Not sure about AK.  Also, that Scandinavian cooking show on PBS featured an episode where natives hunted and cooked muskies for guests from the big city.


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## hollydolly (Nov 9, 2019)

@jerry r. garner . It would be extremely unusual for tigers to attack an elephant..especially as Tigers tend to be lone hunters, and unless absolutely starving would only attack if it was a young , or very old and injured elephant


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## fmdog44 (Nov 14, 2019)

I just saw a piece last night where bees killed a hornet by smothering it then fanning their wings that produce very high temperatures killing the hornet. These were not American bees. It also showed beetles that kill birds. One squirts blinding fluid in to the eyes of one bird protecting the nest then the beetle advances to the nest and kills the young birds. They showed a "Coconut Crab" that can crack coconuts with it's pinchers and their width can be three feet.


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## jerry old (Nov 14, 2019)

Fmg44
No, have not seen the beetles you speak of.  Would like to, Animal Planet, 
National Geo often has peculiar, interesting  critters..
Coconut Crab, would like to view that too.
Have you seen that Pistol Shrimp, kills prey with snap of pinchers...
Remember that beetle in South America(?) that shoots fire out of his butt
(A chemical compound, but still it has the same effect as a dragon shooting
flame).
I'm searching for doc film where a tiger jumps out of brush and seizes a goat
-it happened so fast could not actually see it occur until that showed it in slow mo.


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