{"id":11185,"date":"2022-05-19T21:43:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T21:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11185"},"modified":"2022-12-08T05:03:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T10:03:06","slug":"how-do-wolves-mark-their-mates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-do-wolves-mark-their-mates\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Wolves Mark Their Mates?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve ever heard of wolves marking their mates, perhaps you\u2019ve wondered what this means and how they do it. Turns out, this is just one fascinating aspect of wolves\u2019 mating habits. So, how do wolves mark their mates? How do members of a wolf pair treat each other? What are some other members of the animal kingdom that display loyalty to their partners, as most wolves do? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019ll answer all of these questions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Wolves Mark Each Other?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wolves are highly social creatures<\/a> that tend to live in packs<\/a>. Certain members of these packs can display rather unique behavior toward each other, especially during specific times of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marking mates is one such behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolves do this during the breeding season when they are selecting a mate. Though males can breed almost year-round, females can only do so for a short period of time each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the alpha male of a pack is ready to choose a mate, he will \u201cmark\u201d<\/em> his chosen female by sniffing her genitals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He does this to smell for sex hormones called pheromones. If these hormones are present, it means she\u2019s ready to breed; if not, he may move onto another female, or he will have to wait to mate with his chosen female until she is ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This marking is the first step of the breeding process. Once a female has been marked, the other males in the pack know to leave her alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After marking, the male and female will engage in a courtship process. During this time, they engage in behaviors that look very much like puppies as play; they may lick each other\u2019s faces, groom each other, and the male may appear to perform a sort of \u201cmating dance\u201d around the female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the female is ready, the pair will mate, and the female will give birth to between 4 and 6 babies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Male Wolves Treat Their Mates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do wolves mate for life?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most wolves are monogamous, meaning they choose only one mate and stick with that mate for life. A small minority of alpha males will mate with other females in the pack, but in most cases he will only mate with the alpha female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolf mating pairs seem to have a special bond with each other. They tend to stick together as much as possible, and when they are separated from each other, they may howl to communicate over long distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolves in a mating pair will greet each other when they are reunited after time apart. They will greet each other by sniffing and licking each other\u2019s lips and faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mated wolves will also sleep together at night. They will cuddle close to keep each other feeling warm and secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both males and females in a mated pair are very loving and affectionate toward each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Wolves Possessive of Their Mates?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Male wolves, the alpha males in particular, are very possessive of their mates. When a male selects his chosen female by marking her, he is basically telling the other males in the group to stay away from her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other wolves in the pack seem to respect this marking, as they will leave the marked female alone and will only select a mate from among the available females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video to learn more about wolf mating habits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dM6LMU7YZL4<\/a>