Many people would think that painted wolves are hard to tell apart, and at first it can be tricky. But after a little while your brain learns what to look for and you can’t believe you ever thought you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Faced with a pack of 30 painted wolves coming towards you, you want to know you are pointing the camera at the right animal - which for us was normally one of the alpha couple, particularly our heroines Tait, and her daughter Blacktip.

What to look for:

Behaviour - even from a distance it is often possible to spot Tait or Blacktip, because as the decision makers they are often out front, leading the pack. We found that the camera was naturally drawn to these individuals because they exhibited the most decisive and interesting behaviours. Their characters shone through.

Flank patterns - each animal has a unique set of colour markings on each side, a particular combination of black, brown and white splodges. Unfortunately, this species is not symmetrical, so for 91 different animals on the floodplain - we had to learn 182 flank patterns!

Faces - from a distance these can be hard to see, and much easier to go by flank patterns, but when looking back at close-ups in the rushes it is vital to be able to spot our heroes - so ears, facial markings, and even signs of age are key to ID-ing the characters.

Unique distinguishers - prominent nipples in alpha females during puppy season, injuries, etc.