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WILD KINGDOM'S "WAY OF THE WARRIOR"
By BearInMind

*Rushes in breathless* There was a "Way of the Warrior" special on last night on Animal Planet!
:bnc2 I heard them announce the show earlier and cannot help but admit when I heard the title of
the show that it immediately diverted my interest from what I was doing ." Obviously, the
special was about warriors of the jungle, and focused on their ways when it comes to dealing
with prey, explaining why the specific animals they highlighted in the show were deemed
particularly to be superior warriors of the wild kingdom. The commentator was saying,

"...Animals that spend a lifetime following the way of the warrior... The way of the warrior is
about winning the battle, but also about how they play the game." (Play on prey ~ "game" ~ get
it? *cracks a smile*)

I already have some preconceptions of how this will be received, but so what I took some notes
to share with you all! Despite their reputation as killers lions only catch and kill 1/4 of their prey.
I missed a bit of information on lions ~ oh well. One of nature's heaviest hitters is the Saltwater
Crocodile. I was distracted so that's all I noted.

Boa Constrictors weigh up to 60 pounds and grow up to 11 feet long. They suffocate their
dinner. Each time his prey catches his breath the Boa Constrictor squeezes again, then at last
open their jaws wide and begin to swallow their prey whole.

The Anaconda is the world's heaviest snake, weighing up to 500 pounds. At birth, they're over a
foot in diameter. They wait for their unsuspecting prey to come to them. He attacks, and finishes
the job by dragging his prey underwater, and then, like the Boa Constrictor, squeezes.

Komodo Dragons grow 10 feet long. Whenever a male faces a rival he appears to be larger than
he is. Using their tails for support, they fight until one backs down or is badly hurt and retreats.
His only meal of preference is meat and he knows how to find it. He uses his long forked tongue
to taste the trail of an animal. An adult Komodo Dragon hides along the trail and waits for prey
to walk by. The Dragon doesn't have to kill its prey in one fell-swoop ~ it follows it's injured
prey leisurely, and the prey dies a slow, painful death. A pack of Komodo Dragons move in for
the feast, leaving almost nothing behind. They have a mouth full of serrated, curved teeth that
break off easily but are quickly replaced. They are the ultimate carnivores, eating up to 80% of
their body weight in a single meal ~ that’s at a rate of almost 500 pounds per minute.

The Great White Shark is built to kill ~ he weighs in at over 2 tons, more than a full-size truck.
85% of that weight is sheer muscle ~ humans average 35% muscle. He is king of the sea. His
skeleton is made from cartilage ~ not bone, like most other fish. He's able to smell some 10,000
times better than humans and can detect a single drop of blood in one-million gallons of water.
Sharks jaws are some of the most powerful on earth. His serrated teeth are arranged in multiple
rows, with a new tooth moving forward like a conveyor belt, to replace one that gets lost. He's a
stalker. The Great White strikes his unsuspecting victim below, then swims away until it bleeds
to death. It can wait a month or two before having another meal. He is a lone killer.

They talked about Dolphin being one of nature's warriors to, making reference to how they
locate their prey ~ similar to how the Great White does, but I was distracted by someone and
missed most of what they said.

The commentator noted that Wild Dogs' reputation precedes it. They are said to be cruel,
ferocious killers, but in reality, they're just efficient. They're pack hunters and they're fast,
pursuing their prey at speeds of up to 40 MPH, using their tails for balance, wearing out their
prey. Their evil reputation has little to do with their prowess as hunters. Other animals like
hyenas and vultures are always waiting to move in on the Wild Dog's kill. A pack of 20 dogs can
kill and eat 80 pounds of prey a day.

A swarm of Army Ants know how to stick together. They march endlessly through the Amazon
Jungle. They devour everything that stands in their way. They leave a path of total destruction.
alone, the tiny Army Ant is a wimp and wouldn't dare hunt on its own, but in a troop of millions,
he's likely to get anything he wants. Like it's human equivalent, they are hierarchical ~ the Solder
Ant's only purpose is to protect the Army, and they live off of water and fluids. The Workers
serve the Queen. During the night, the colony builds a temporary nest made up entirely of Army
ants; every member fastening on to each other using their arms and legs, making a living fortress.
In the morning, they disentangle themselves.

Wolves have a fierce reputation. The wolf pack is made up of from 6 to over 30 wolves. At the
beginning of the hunt the members of the pack gather together howling to mark the start of the
battle. These animals can detect prey from over a mile away. Their sense of smell is over 100
times more sensitive than humans. they run as fast as over 45 MPH. Once the pack locates their
prey, they make their move. Every troop member has their place according to their rank. the
alpha male and female lead the hunt. By hunting in packs, wolves can bring down prey as large
as moose or bison. A single wolf can eat over 20 pounds of meat at one sitting. They eat just
about everything ~ all the way down to hoofs and horns. They often go for days, even weeks,
without food.

Orcas, otherwise known as Killer Whales, are intelligent and coordinated hunters. They attack
and kill just about anything. They produce a series of clicks which echo off any object in its path
and it's brain translates the information into a 3 dimensional image. Every member participates in
the hunt. They are one of the fastest animals (?) in the sea, pursuing prey at speeds of up to 30
MPH.

Here are some in the "Biological Weapons" category. Scorpions wield toxic weapons. A wellaimed
sting from a particular species can cause fever, swelling and even death.

The Poison Frog is an unlikely warrior to be feared, but taste it's skin! Just one frog can down a
small monkey with just a single touch.

A single bite from The pea-sized Black Widow Spider can kill a small child. The male produces
a tiny amount of venom but the female produces more. Her web looks like a mess of madness
but she is perfectly attuned to the vibrations of uninvited guests, and runs to her prey, binding it
with silken rope and injects it with poison. She sucks out all the juices until only an empty shell
remains. She's infamous for her canabalistic appetites.

Tarantulas can consume prey as large as a lizard. They create trap doors, run trip wires and more
in their nests, waiting for their prey. The male tarantula outlives the male Black Widow by years.

Killer Bees attack a victim in swarms. A few hundred stings can throw a full-grown man into
toxic shock and kill him. The killer bees entered the United States through Texas in 1990 and
continue to move northward ~ nothing has been able to stop them so far.

Dragonfly’s have 360 degree vision at all times. They said some other neat things but I was so
fascinated that I didn't make any notes. Ha!

The Owl can hunt in total darkness. He's the lord of the night. It's head rotates a full 270 degrees,
allowing it to easily spot its prey. He can hear 3 times better than the average human, and can
easily pinpoint his prey. He can locate a mouse running under 2 feet of snow.

The Eagle locate prey with precision sight and hone in with lightning speed. Their vision is so
sharp, he can spot a single fish from hundreds of feet in the air. They are constantly on the hunt
for food, sometimes traveling up to 100 miles in search of their next meal. To go the distance,
they are a master of soaring, requiring much less energy than flapping. His bones are hollow.
The weight of his skeleton is half the weight of his feathers. He's built to master the skies, and he does.

The Cheetah is the fastest mammal on earth, clocking speeds of up to 60 MPH. He's his very
own Stealth Fighter and, like the Stealth, he's built for speed. His body is light and his head
small, allowing him to accelerate quickly. His claws give him extra grip to swerve, and his long
tail for balance. His extra-wide passages in his nose give him extra oxygen he needs for his
sprints. His body stretches to a full stride of 23 feet, but he runs out of fuel quickly. A half-hour
chase will result in a half hour rest. Gazelle makes up most of their meal. Cheetahs band together
to hunt Wildebeests. They eat as fast as they run, because hyenas and vultures are waiting for
their lunch too!

The Ninja is the ultimate human warrior, feared by the most powerful Samurai. His reputation as
an assassin defines him. His only equal in the animal world is the Pit Viper. They are one of the
deadliest creatures on the planet. He knows you're coming long before you ever see him. Gosh.
Can't go on with this ~ I had to stop taking notes to tend to some sudden business

CinnamonMoon:
Thanks BIM I'm going to copy this to the Totem Library as it's interesting information others
may want later on too.