The Raven and the Wolf

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The Raven and the Wolf
Mick Stratton
mstratton@hlkn.tamu.edu

If you looked toward the heavens on a bright spring day you might see a golden eagle soaring overhead and you might say, “Aw, the Master of the skies,” but I would disagree with you and would respond, “No that would be another bird.”

“What?” you say. “Tell me the bird that is the Master of the skies if it is not the eagle.” I would respond, “It is the raven, for the raven fears nothing in the skies and harasses all that she deems a threat or just an annoyance.”

You don’t believe me? Look it up. You will see videos of ravens attacking eagles, owls and hawks with no fear. You will learn the raven and the crow are considered by most experts as the smartest of birds. And, just as a brilliant man can confound a bully, so can the raven confound birds of prey that are larger but not nearly as smart.

The raven also has a keen sense of humor, so she plays tricks on, teases and generally annoys other birds and animals just for the fun of it. She laughs in her gaiety and if the others want to be upset, so be it. The raven says, “I think I will go my own way and do my own thing. Thank you very much!”

If you see two ravens that hang out together, you probably assume they are mates. Particularly when you notice that they are the ones that most often go after the eagles, owls and such; even that ole bobcat may be harassed by these amazing creatures.

Well, you would be right! They are a mated pair, and they don’t like other critters around their nest or young ones.

When you see a flock, it is most often young adults that haven’t got hitched yet. They just hang together, play games, harass all they care to, and enjoy life to its fullest.

So who is this bird, the raven? She has a wing span up to four and a half feet, weight up to four and a half pounds and stands as tall as 30 inches. She is a superb flyer capable of flying upside down and doing backward loops. This undaunted daring flyer is one of the best of the areal acrobats in the skies.

The raven is omnivorous, which widens the choices of suitable habitats where she can live. You might go to YouTube and watch her steal food from a bald eagle, watch two ravens make a bald eagle flee from a tree top, watch a flock steal food from a golden eagle, while harassing it for the pure joy of it. There is no fear, for the raven is the master and does as she wishes.

It is not just other birds that need to be wary of the raven; she and her mate will harass any animal that approaches their young. Cougars, bobcats and raccoons are all very aware of that.

There really isn’t anything that a raven needs to worry too much about; which is why she, indeed, is master of the skies.

Interestingly, the raven does have a buddy that she likes to work with sometimes. He’s not a bird, but a mammal. He has a reputation for being one tough cuss. Afraid of nothing and pretty much does what he wants. He probably has a bad rap with you and your friends, but I like him just fine for he is my brother. He is the Wolf.

The wolf is not the largest of the predators, but he is pretty much master of the wilderness. If you don’t believe me, go back into the world of YouTube and put in wolf vs. some other land animal in his habitat, such as the cougar, grizzly, bison, or whatever. Though at times the wolf will lose, most often he drives the other animals away or kills them.

“Wait!” you say. “How can that be, the cougar, grizzly and black bears are all bigger and stronger than the wolf?”

You are right, of course, but the wolf is smarter. Whether there are just two of them or they are a pack, they group up on the larger animals and exhaust them so that they flee or are killed.

The wolf is not afraid of any of these creatures. They, however, respect the wolf and therefore they leave him alone. Hence, as with the raven, he goes and does as he pleases.

Wolves tend to mate for life and raise their young together. A wolf pack usually consists of the mating pair (the alphas) and younger adult wolves, as well as the wolf cubs born in the spring. Packs can vary in size from just the alphas, up to 10 or 15 wolves. In certain times and situations, several packs can unite to make extremely large packs of up to 40 wolves

How big is this magnificent creature? It depends on different variables, but he is larger further north than in the south. The artic male wolf can weigh as much as 150 to 175 lbs. Generally however, the males are between 75 lbs to 120 lbs. and from 30 to 34 inches at the shoulders. In general the female is about 20% smaller than the males.

The raven and the wolf have a very special relationship. The ravens will often point out to the wolves possible prey. They will also be on alert if something is approaching such as a grizzly, other wolves or man. The wolf, on the other hand, tolerates the raven eating from his kills.

Ravens and wolves have been seen playing together in the wild. A raven pulling on a wolf’s tail or a wolf cub chasing a raven that is staying just out of reach are not unfamiliar sights.

What would happen if these two magnificent creatures formed a relationship with a man?

Quien sabe? But I think it would make a wonderful story.

enough