Wolf Facts
By David

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All About Wolves

Wolves live in families called packs. Most packs have an average of ten wolves in them. Zoologists think that wolves stay in packs because they like being near other wolves. Very few wolves leave the pack, but if they do they will mate and start their own pack. In a pack there are two types of wolves. There are the dominate and the subordinate. There is a dominate male and female wolf designated as "alpha" individuals. You can tell the subordinate wolves from the other wolves, because they have their tails between their legs. They also whine and lower their ears to their heads. Every pack lives in their territories which can cover up to 800 miles. The alpha of the pack marks their territory with its sent. Wolves will defend their territories which means attacking strange wolves that come into their territory.

Most wolves mate during the winter, and they have from 1 to 11 young. The female wolf carries the young for about 62 days before giving birth. The pups weigh about 1 pound at birth. They are born half blind and deaf leaving them completely defenseless. The pups start to eat meat in about three weeks after birth. The pups leave the den when they are about two months old. Wolves are not picky eaters. They will eat almost any animal that they can catch. Wolves have no specific hunting time. They hunt anytime during the night or day. Wolves usually hunt for sick, old, or injured animals.