Courtship and Packs

[Lexwolf]

Okay, two questions.
1. How do two wolves become mates? Is there some kind of special courtship they do, or when two dispersals meet is it just kinda like, "Hey, I'm a male dispersal, you're a female dispersal, let's be mates"?
2. If both dominants die, would all the rest of the pack kind of just go their own way, or would one of them step up as leader and find their own mate, and let the rest of them stick around for a while? (In other words, if the leaders die, is the original pack just going to be gone and everyone's going to go off and start a new pack, or would one of them become the new leader and keep the pack going?)

[Koa]

1. Wolf courtship is a long and drawn out process. When two wolves of the opposite gender meet, its often a thing of opportunity... they are not exceptionally picky when it comes to mates like humans are. A more detailed answer can be found here:

Wolves are known being extremely social, and their family unit would not work out without the emotional bonds and attachments between pack members. Wolves have at least three recognised ways of social communication, Audible, Somatic (body language) and Olfactory (scenting and territory marking). Their social behavior is in its highest level when taking a mate; upon greeting, both wolves stand tensely shoulder to shoulder, with fur bristled, tails out and wagging, and ears erect as they venture a sniff of each others nose and muzzle. As they get to know each other better, there may be some play posturing, and then tail, genital, and anal sniffing. This progresses into romping, running, licking, and nuzzling, by which time the greeting phase fades and courtship begins. Courtship is a bonding phase where the wolves get to know each other intimately and a mutual emotional attachment develops. This bond often becomes so strong that the pair will become lifetime mates. However, unlike the romanticism anthropomorphized by human beings, lifetime relationships are more a thing of opportunity than an absolute. Many things can happen in the wilderness to push even the most mutually dedicated lovers apart; such as rivalry between wolves, injury, illness, or death. As courting progresses there comes playful attempts to mounting from the front or side, mutual licking of muzzle, candle, and genitals, parallel running which incorporates nuzzling under the other wolf's jaw or ear, and puppy the ears sideways while together.

http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23279

2. Is answered here:

What is the fate of a "fractured pack"?
A fractured pack's, or pack's whose key members have died, fate depends on just which members have died. Because the heart of a pack is the breeding pair (dominant pair), the death of all offspring would just result in the pair breeding again next year. If one member of the breeding pair dies, the other surviving breeding member may hold the territory until a new mate arrives. If the breeding pair is lost, the remaining members may disperse and become part of the "floating" population, unless they are pups which would die from starvation or from predators.

http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34625

[Lexwolf]

So, when the leaders of a pack die, pretty much the pack will split up and cease to exist?
If a situation like that were to occur, if a few of them were to travel together, and one of them were to find a mate, would they allow the others to stay as members of the new pack? Or would they chase them off?

[Koa]

So, when the leaders of a pack die, pretty much the pack will split up and cease to exist?
If a situation like that were to occur, if a few of them were to travel together, and one of them were to find a mate, would they allow the others to stay as members of the new pack? Or would they chase them off?

Yes, the pack will split up as mentioned in the quote provided. Its possible they may stick together, though unlikely in all regards; if there are pups involved, the pups would likely be abandoned. Keep in mind that any "older" offspring are likely yearlings, too, and are not experienced enough to care for pups on their own, as they would more likely be concerned with their own survival.

It's possible, but I highly doubt it. Wolves disperse, first off, to prevent inbreeding. Staying within a sibling or relative's pack will not allow them to start a family of their own, so there is really no point to it. They are better off finding mates of their own so they can create their own family.

[Lexwolf]

Alright. That makes sense. ^^

[Koa]

Alright. That makes sense. ^^

Mhm, no problem. If you're interested in reading further, there's definitely a few topics around Wolf Q&A regarding this and similar situations. (-:

[Alpha Female]

Glad to see your question has been answered. Thanks for helping Koa! ^^

-Locked-