Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
What follows is no sedate, mannerly Sunday-school picnic. As might be expected, the alpha pair
usually get the internal organs, which are the richest, choicest morsels. Otherwise, however, pack mem-
bers growl, jostle, snarl, and otherwise compete for this rich lode of meat. Finally, even the subordinate
wolves have their chance, until all have eaten their fill. At such times of plenty, wolves gorge them-
selves, putting away ten to twenty pounds of meat at a sitting before collapsing for a well-earned rest.
Wolves will also cache excess food from a large kill by burying some of the meat, laying food away
against a time of poor hunting.
It's true that wolves prey mainly on the weak, sick, and old, since they are the easiest to catch and
kill. Over long periods, this behavior benefits the prey species via the immutable law of survival of the
fittest. Wolves, however, like most predators, are very opportunistic and kill strong, healthy animals
whenever conditions are right. They also kill many young animals that, regardless of their inherent ge-
netic quality, simply aren't yet old enough or fast enough to elude them. Thus the notion that wolves
kill only the old, weak, sick, and unfit, often advanced by those who either don't understand wolves or
are trying to glorify them unduly, is a substantial distortion of the truth.
Breeding season takes place in late winter or early spring, depending on the latitude. As might be
expected, breeding takes place earlier in more southerly latitudes, and later in the harsher climate of
more northerly reaches. Most breeding is done by the alpha male and female. This pair often mates for
life, though it's by no means a universal practice. Alpha males are known to breed the alpha female
plus a subordinate female, and occasionally to switch mates. Further, if something happens to its mate,
the surviving alpha wolf will find another mate. Sentimental twaddle about wolves grieving for a lost
mate and thereafter remaining celibate can be dispensed with.
Breeding of a second, subordinate female usually occurs when prey is exceptionally abundant. Even
with plenty of prey, however, the pups borne by the subordinate female often don't survive.
Although wolves usually sleep in the open, the female has her litter in a den. There are usually five
or six pups, which weigh a pound apiece and are both blind and deaf at first. The warmth of the mother
is vital for the pups during their first three weeks, so she's mostly confined to the den during that peri-
od, and is fed by the alpha male and other pack members, who consume food elsewhere and regurgitate
it for her.
At about two weeks, the pups' eyes open, and they can hear when they're about three weeks old.
Then, by the time they're a month old, they begin to leave the den. They begin to eat solid food, and
pack members now begin to bring food for the fast-growing pups.
When the pups are about two months old, they're taken to a rendezvous site. This is a location where
the pups can be left safely while the pack members go forth to hunt, then rendezvous at the spot. A ren-
dezvous site features some sort of protection for the pups, such as a crevice in the rocks or extremely
dense vegetation. There the pups remain, sometimes exploring for short distances around the site, while
the rest of the pack hunts, returning periodically to the pups.
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