A Few Questions

[Nevara]

Sorry if these questions have already been answered; I couldn't find them in the search tool.

1. When the adults in the pack give food to the pups, do the pups fight over it? Wait for their turn? Don't know about it? Or simply ignore it?

2. How long do wolves usually live?

3. How big is the average pack?

4. When wolves disperse, does the rest of the pack know/care?

5. Are there more male wolves than females? More females than males? Or about the same?

[Koa]

Sorry if these questions have already been answered; I couldn't find them in the search tool.

1. When the adults in the pack give food to the pups, do the pups fight over it? Wait for their turn? Don't know about it? Or simply ignore it?

2. How long do wolves usually live?

3. How big is the average pack?

4. When wolves disperse, does the rest of the pack know/care?

5. Are there more male wolves than females? More females than males? Or about the same?

1. Dominance displays occur with food in general, so yes, competition can happen.
2.

What is the lifespan of a wolf?

It is misleading to say that wolves in the wild live an average of a certain number of years. There are so many variables. Some wolves die soon after they are born, and others are killed or die in early or middle adulthood. Members of the dog family like wolves and domestic dogs can live to be 15 or 16 years old - sometimes even older. Dogs and wolves in captivity have a better shot at making it to a ripe old age because they usually receive routine veterinary care and regular meals. However, wild wolves have a tough life filled with pitfalls. Many pups don't make it through the first winter of their lives. Those that survive the first two years have a pretty good chance of living another two to four years if they can avoid fatal injury and if they can get enough to eat. Some wild wolves do live to be 9 or 10, and there are verified records of a few living into their early teens.

http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=69008

3.

How many wolves are in a pack?

Pack size is highly variable and fluid because of the birth of pups, dispersal, and mortality. Prey availability and size are also factors. Where prey animals are smaller, packs are often small. Where prey is large, the packs may be larger. For example, in Alaska and northwestern Canada some packs reportedly have over 20 members. One pack (Druid Peak pack) in Yellowstone National Park once swelled to over 30 members, but this is highly unusual and not necessarily an advantage. More pack members means more food must be obtained. Wolf packs are generally largest in late autumn when the nearly-grown pups are strong enough to hunt with the adults. Over the winter months, some wolves may disperse to find mates and territories of their own. Others die, and by spring, before the arrival of a new crop of pups, the pack size has often diminished.

Red wolf packs are generally smaller than gray wolf packs and usually have 2 to 8 members, but a pack of 12 has been observed in the wild.

http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/faqs/faq.asp

4. They'll probably notice the absence of the member, but I wouldn't think anyone would be aggressive about it.

5. The number versus each gender can vary - consider the amount of pups per year, their genders, and the ones that die. To my knowledge, I do not know specific details; perhaps someone else may know, but otherwise, it is something that changes so its hard to say. It may also vary from geographical location to the next.

[Nevara]

Thanks for the help Koa! (:

[BlackWarrior]

Thanks for helping, Koa. Glad the question has been answered. ^^
I'll go ahead and lock this then.

• • -- Topic Locked --