Post by Trixxy on Dec 16, 2013 22:32:00 GMT
Two or three before a Wolf bitch whelps her puppies, she will sniff around for a place to make a den. If fate allows, she might take up residence in an old den, maybe a foxhole, or rock cave. Well established Wolf packs often use the same denning ground year after year. Carbon dating of bones around a well established den showed that Wolves had used the same site for almost 800 years. Note that it is only during the early spring, when a bitch prepares to whelp and rear the pups, that either she or the pack lingers around the den site. Failing an established den, the bitch will dig her own.
Inexperienced females sometimes dig shallow pits. Rarely a bitch may whelp above ground in the open. In this latter case the pups are usually moved later or may end up dying. Dens are often dug quite large, more than adequate for the bitch and her puppies. With an entrance half a meter (20 inches) wide or more, a tunnel extending 1.5 to 4 meters (6 to 14 feet) leads to a whelping chamber that can be 2 meters (6.5 feet) or more in diameter.
The den is a sacred place and the alpha female won't even allow her mate enter, although she may select an assistant from among the pack's other females to help her rear the pack puppies. Wolves love puppies and the entire pack eventually participates in their care.
When it's time to whelp, the bitch will enter her den and gives birth to her pups. The pups are born about 40 minutes apart; the umbilical cord is chewed off by the mother, the puppy is tongue-groomed clean, and then the placenta is eaten. The average litter size is four to six, but up to eleven have been documented. Pups are born sightless and deaf, and unable to maintain their body temperature independently until about three weeks old. Puppies require a lot of motherly devotion in order to survive. The mortality rate for newborn Wolves making it to yearling is about 60%.
Mom will remain in the den for several days straight, licking and feeding the brood, and only after two or three days leave only briefly for a sip of water. Wolf pups are born quite strong and immediately begin competition with each other to reach mother's nipples. This struggle to suckle also establishes early social ranking. Wolf pups nurse five or six times a day for three to five minutes each feeding.
Pups will usually remain in their den for the first three or four weeks of their lives before mother allows them to venture forth into the light. During this time the mother is quite dependant on her mate and other pack members to bring her food in the form of meat that is often regurgitated for her.
Inexperienced females sometimes dig shallow pits. Rarely a bitch may whelp above ground in the open. In this latter case the pups are usually moved later or may end up dying. Dens are often dug quite large, more than adequate for the bitch and her puppies. With an entrance half a meter (20 inches) wide or more, a tunnel extending 1.5 to 4 meters (6 to 14 feet) leads to a whelping chamber that can be 2 meters (6.5 feet) or more in diameter.
The den is a sacred place and the alpha female won't even allow her mate enter, although she may select an assistant from among the pack's other females to help her rear the pack puppies. Wolves love puppies and the entire pack eventually participates in their care.
When it's time to whelp, the bitch will enter her den and gives birth to her pups. The pups are born about 40 minutes apart; the umbilical cord is chewed off by the mother, the puppy is tongue-groomed clean, and then the placenta is eaten. The average litter size is four to six, but up to eleven have been documented. Pups are born sightless and deaf, and unable to maintain their body temperature independently until about three weeks old. Puppies require a lot of motherly devotion in order to survive. The mortality rate for newborn Wolves making it to yearling is about 60%.
Mom will remain in the den for several days straight, licking and feeding the brood, and only after two or three days leave only briefly for a sip of water. Wolf pups are born quite strong and immediately begin competition with each other to reach mother's nipples. This struggle to suckle also establishes early social ranking. Wolf pups nurse five or six times a day for three to five minutes each feeding.
Pups will usually remain in their den for the first three or four weeks of their lives before mother allows them to venture forth into the light. During this time the mother is quite dependant on her mate and other pack members to bring her food in the form of meat that is often regurgitated for her.