Wolf Pups
The Beginning of Life
The alpha female and male are usually the only ones to mate and produce young. In other words-the more dominant males and females are more likely to have pups rather than the lower ranking wolves. After about the two-month gestation period for a female, she gives birth to a litter usually consisting of five to seven pups in late spring. At birth, the pups' eyes are blue, but they turn amber yellow later in adulthood. They only weigh about one pound. The pups are completely helpless, born blind and deaf, their lives depending completely on Mom and the pack. The whole pack cares for the pups. They must be very well protected, animals like bears and eagles often prey on wolf pups.
Wolf mothers are very protective of their pups. They guard them fiercely. Rarely are pups ever left alone.
Wolf mothers are very protective of their pups. They guard them fiercely. Rarely are pups ever left alone.
Growing Up
Wolf pups open their eyes after about 12 to 15 days of life. By two weeks of age, the pups can walk. By three, they may come out of the den for the first time, very cautiously. The pups are quite unsure of the unknown world, and a puff of wind is enough to send them scurrying back inside the den. As the pups grow, their curiosity grows, and it coaxes them a little farther away from the den each time. When a wolf pup finds himself out of sight of the den and all alone, he howls. His vocal cords are not yet fully developed, so it comes out as a yap. It's enough to bring Mom to the rescue, she carefully picks him up and brings him back to the safety of the den.
Meals and Toys
Before the pups are fully weaned, Mom-as a treat, brings bits of meat and bones to gnaw-a bit of what the pups will soon be hunting. Pups grow very quickly, which means they need to eat. When pups' teeth begin to grow in, Mom is less patient when the puppies want to nurse-their baby teeth hurt. The pups then whine and lick Mom's mouth, and this triggers her to regurgitate partly digested meat-which the puppies then consume. Gross it may seem-but it's the way of the wolves. By eight weeks, the pups are weaned. Their snouts are longer, and their fuzzy puppy fur is beginning to turn into protective adult hair. They are less dependent on Mom, which means she can go hunting again. The pups can now be left alone for a few hours at a time-though the pack still contributes to look after them. Pups have toys. On some days, Mom sometimes brings back toys for the pups-such as a piece of skin from a kill which the pups play tug-of-war and wrestle with. Sometimes-it's a bone or a foot of a kill which they gnaw on.
Playtime
Mom and the pack often have playtime with pups. This consists of tag, tug of war, wrestling, sneak attack, and other games. Not only does this give entertainment to the pups, it teaches them important life skills like battle and hunting. The pups are then more ready to leave Mom and the pack when the time comes.
Grown Up
By the time wolves are two years old, they ae considered adults and are ready to leave the pack to form their own families-and their own pack. Their eyes are now an amber yellow. They have lost all their puppy fuzz. Their vocal cords are fully developed. They now can look after themselves. The siblings all go different directions to seek their own life. However, this does not happen too often. Wolf pups, when food is plentiful, usually survive up to their first birthday. Even by then, when they are almost full-grown, enemies, disease, drought, famine, or other dangers usually kill most wolf pups at an early age, and some wolf pups don't even survive past the first few days of life. But when they do, it means a brighter future for the wolves of the current and future generations.