Throat clamp

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Coyote with a typical throat hold on domestic sheep

Throat clamp is a method of subduing that involves the

didelphids.[1]

Cats use this technique to kill prey while dogs and hyenas use this to weaken the prey before eating it, generally alive. It's more often used than the

chest
, the passageway would be increasingly harder to collapse, so the throat clamp is usually positioned high up on the animal's neck.

Usage

If the prey is on the ground and pinned, most predators position themselves behind the animal to use their body's weight to help control the movements of the prey and reach around to grab the throat, usually twisting the head around, aiding in both their grasp and the blocking of the windpipe.

If the prey is standing, a solitary predator can use a throat clamp usually only if the prey is small or in

cape buffalo
and wrap around to secure a partial throat clamp.

Anatomy

Strong canines are generally required for this move: canines that are too short won't penetrate deeply enough and struggling prey can tear free, while canines that are too long or weak can be broken in the struggle with large prey. This fact created a controversy that is still generally unresolved as to the killing tactics of the extinct carnivores

machairodonts
, or sabre-toothed cats. Strong jaws are often needed to compress the windpipe far enough.

Most often, the canines pierce the prey behind the windpipe so that it is not torn, but compressed between premolars of upper and lower jaws. It can be compared to the

bit
of a horse's bridle in placement. With the mouth completely enclosing the windpipe, it is, if the predator does not relax its grip, very difficult to break free from.

Alternative forms

Occasionally, and as suggested for the killing method of

arteries and adjacent windpipe lead to a flow of blood into the windpipe and down into the lungs where the animal essentially drowns in its own blood.[2]
This method has not been used regularly by any modern carnivores and is, due to the bloody nature, not suitable for an area with high competition due to the smell attracting other predators. It can be argued that this is not a true throat clamp, but another specialized type of killing.

References