My wife was in the emergency room when they brought one of those fatalities in. She said the animal hit its victim from behind at full speed to effect the kill. No biting and ripping the throat out, or anything like that. The victim's spine was completely severed and the heart was torn from its arteries (or was that singular?...artery...I can't remember). Other organs were also fatally injured, all from the collision itself. She said the X-rays were unbelievable, the organs were so badly jumbled up.
“The victim’s spine was completely severed and the heart was torn from its arteries. Other organs were also fatally injured, all from the collision itself.”
Yikes, I never heard of that before. I always figured it was claws and teeth on the brain stem. At least maybe that impact was a merciful way to go.
Yes. They try to strike on the back of the neck. They take elk down instantly that way, so they are powerful. It can cause an overpressure followed by sudden blood pressure drop in people. I lived among quite a few of them for a while. Never heard them growl as seen in movies. They only made a short, raspy screeching sound and only at night (mating call, perhaps). Sounded more like some kind of bird.
On dry ground, they walked really fast when traveling and make the speed look effortless. When running, they looked fast as greyhounds.
But in deep ice, they hopped like jackrabbits and covered a lot of ground real fast when running from me (very bright moonlight at high altitude and elevation, temp way below zero). Wildlife experts claim that they only go after live animals, but that’s not correct. They’ll eat dog food in the winter, unless the dog is out watching for them. They’re afraid of large dogs (like shepherds or hound dogs). They’re afraid of adult humans, too, unless you have your back to them.