TheMegabro
TheMegabro t1_izvqtyx wrote
Reply to comment by Spacier_soda in How dogs scoop up water. by ooMEAToo
A lot of wolves are killed by wolves from other packs. Cougars/mountain lions will sneak attack, kill, and probably eat an individual wolf (a wolf travelling in search of a mate) if they have a chance. Bears would eat a wolf if they were able to grab one, although they aren't as soft-stepping as a cougar so it is unlikely for a bear to catch a wolf by surprise.
TheMegabro t1_izv309l wrote
Reply to comment by stealth57 in How dogs scoop up water. by ooMEAToo
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The water could be freezing cold, which would be make head dunking even worse.
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The water, although not freezing, might have alligators or crocodiles in it. Any distance you can put between you and the water helps when dodging a surprise lunge from the water.
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Lowering the head really far cuts down how well an animal with forward-facing eyes can see the land surrounding the water, inviting a surprise attack from large land predators, cougars/bears/lions/etc.
TheMegabro t1_izv0vhw wrote
Reply to comment by XColdLogicX in How dogs scoop up water. by ooMEAToo
If a wolf is drinking from a natural puddle, any water it spills goes back into the puddle. So "efficiency" didn't matter.
Edit: Unless you mean inefficient as in slow rather than wasteful of water. Moderately slow drinking could actually be a feature. Lots of animals are slow drinkers.
TheMegabro t1_izvte3w wrote
Reply to comment by stealth57 in How dogs scoop up water. by ooMEAToo