Many people believe that predators target the weak and sick, but that isn’t always the case. This photo taken by a trail camera near the Francis Walter Dam in Luzerne County, submitted to use by Jeff Carter, captures a stunning moment as a coyote is hot on the heels of a buck. The photo was taken last summer, and the coyote likely ambushed the buck as it fed in the grassy opening. I don’t know how the dramatic scene unfolded, but I suspect the buck quickly got up to speed and escaped. Still, if a coyote is willing to take on a decent, adult buck, is there anything off limits in the relationship between predator and prey?
- Tom Venesky
The size of prey a predator is willing to try is perhaps directly proportional to the time frame since the predator last ate. Unless you are starving, then the animals energy level has much to do with the ambitions they take on.