BUT the gray wolf finally reaches the shallows, exhaustedly standing on the rocky shore. Safely out of the orca's grasp? #BMW2026Resist

The large animal hounding the gray wolf surfaces, showcasing a wide long back of black & white. A Bigg's orca! Unlike the resident orca, this ecotype is a mammal eater, & it appears wolf is on the menu tonight! #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

BREAK: DYK as part of an ecological & cultural reconciliation, several wood bison (or bagwaji-bizhikiwag) were recently moved from Alberta NP to a free-ranging herd stewarded by the Skownan First Nation? indiginews.com/winnipeg/gro... #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky #IndigenousPeoplesDay

INTO THE PATH OF A CAR! #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

Elsewhere, wood bison has come across...a road! Wood bison don't avoid roads, but the bison mama is very cautious when it comes to her calf. Still she can smell the salt, which is what is bringing her to battle. She nudges her calf onward. cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.... #BMW2026Resist

The deer mouse continues to nibble, unaware of the masked danger shuffling closer to him. Ms. Raccoon, however, is very aware of the deer mouse. #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

Ms. Raccoon, having struck out in the tide pools, snuffles along towards the forest edge. She's starving, hungry enough to eat a crunchy mouse, should she come across one. host9.viethwebhosting.com/~tasc/docs/J... #BMW2026Resist

Still out in the water, a large something passes below the gray wolf. It's so large, its passing pulls the wolf closer to shore. Exactly where he wants to be now! Fear puts some strength in his exhausted legs, but will it be enough? #BMW2026Resist

Meanwhile, the mouse has finally tracked down the origin of the pungent smell: wolf poop! Deer mice often scavenge for undigested seeds in bear scat. The mouse nibbles some promising pieces. #BMW2026Resist esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The gray wolf is swimming in a circle in the dead calm water. He's lost track of the fish. His paws frantically paddle along as he attempts to regain an idea of where they are. Below him, *something* decides to take a closer look. #BMW2026Resist

BREAK: did you know that some of the indigenous peoples of North America named believed raccoons to have magical powers? www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smiths... #IndigenousPeoplesDay #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

And on the very edge of our somewhat large battleground, a wood bison, a little further south than she typically ranges, carefully shepherds her calf through the trees. She's headed deeper into the battleground, & closer to the coast...but a barrier stands in her way... #BMW2026Resist

A little ways away a raccoon stands on her hind legs to get a better look at the wolf. Wolves do kill raccoons www.raincoast.org/2016/03/drea... but this one is focused on other things. Raccoon settles back on four paws & searches through a tide pool for a tasty clam. #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

Perhaps he should be more cautious? #BMW2026Resist

Nearby, a gray wolf runs into the water. He's laser focused on fish which are seeking shelter near the coast. Born in this area, this wolf is used to swimming in the ocean, fishing for his food. #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCIc...

At a misty coniferous forest edge, he pokes his snout into the air. Something pungent draws him closer to a rocky coast, out into the open, a dangerous place for a mouse... #BMW2026Resist

On the not-so-fair British Columbia coast, where we lay our scene, we zoom in on the Sitka deer mouse. A subspecies of the northwestern deer mouse, this contestant (0.20 stoats heavy) is currently searching for food #StoatsAsMeasurement #BMW2026Resist

Now is the last time to get your predictions in as to which mammal is going to win! #BMW2026Resist

Tonight's warriors: 1) the Sitka deer mouse (Peromyscus keeni sitkensis), 2) the northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), 3) the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), 4) the gray wolf (Canis lupus), & the Bigg's orca (Orcinus orca rectipinnus) #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky

Welcome to THE CLASH OF THE SPONSORS! A five-way battle between our sponsor tier animals a la March Mammal Madness! #BMW2026Resist #BlackSky