Hungry Like The Wolf: Here's the Science!

Route 1's EIGHTIES WEEK continues with a scientific analysis of an iconic 80s single, Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf."
"Dark in the city, night is a wire"
Contrary to public perception, wolves are actually active during both day and night periods.
"Woman you want me, give me a sign/And catch my breathing even closer behind."
Although the wolf primarily travels at a 5-mph trot, in chases a wolf can achieve estimated speeds of between 28 and 40 mph for about 20 minutes.
"Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd."
The wolf (Canis lupus) utilizes a vast communication repertoire, including scent marks. A wolf's sense of smell is about 100 times greater than a human's. Wolves live in a family oriented social structure known as a "pack."
"And I'm hungry like the wolf"
A wolf can consume almost 20 pounds of prey at a feeding.
"Stalked in the forest, too close to hide/I'll be upon you by the moonlight side."
Wolves use direct scenting, chance encounter and tracking to locate prey. In scenting an animal, wolves typically remain downwind of the prey.
"High blood drumming on our skin it's so tight."
Wolves have two types of fur coats. The undercoat, the short fur closest to the skin, is soft and keeps the wolf warm. The overcoat, made up of long hairs, acts as a weather barrier.
"Strut on a line, between discord and rhyme/I howl and I whine I'm after you"
Wolves howl to greet one another, to indicate their location, to define their territorial boundaries and to call the pack together.
"Burning the ground, I break from the crowd/I'm on the hunt I'm after you."
The wolf is opportunistic and will attempt to catch the easiest and most vulnerable animal.
"And I'm hungry like the wolf."
Predation is not violence, but rather the act of obtaining food for survival.