WolfQuest

Do female wolf protect her pups or is it just male? I been wondering if female wolf can protect her pups when there’s predators nearby.

Mikaylawolf2 wrote: ↑

Mon May 15, 2023 5:15 pm

Do female wolf protect her pups or is it just male? I been wondering if female wolf can protect her pups when there’s predators nearby.

Yes, both wolf parents will care for their pups! A wolf is a family pack, with every member caring for the pups and each other. This article from the International Wolf Center's website explains it simply:
https://wolf.org/wolf-info/wild-kids/wo ... %2Dsitting.
"All the wolves in a pack help take care of the pups. When the pups are very small, other pack members bring food to the mother so she does not have to leave the den. When the pups are a little larger, pack members take turns bringing them food, playing with them and even baby-sitting." [International Wolf Center, para.3]


If you were asking if a female wolf is able to hunt, fight, patrol, defend the pups as well as a male wolf, then yes. Both are able to, and do, hunt, fight, patrol, rear pups, and defend their family. A study about wolf dominance and division of work provides a prime example of this: http://www.wolf.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... nglish.pdf

"In attacks on prey, including both calf and adult musk-oxen, the breeding male and female appear to be equally involved, and they feed together side by side even though at times they keep yearlings away. Both breeders also hunt hares together..." [Mech, page 10]

"Both breeding male and breeding female scent-mark, and either can initiate doublemarking (Haber 1977; Rothman and Mech 1979), depending on which is ahead during a particular moment of travel." [Mech, page 10]

"...I observed the breeding female of the Ellesmere Island pack being most aggressive against a muskox that once stood at the den entrance." [Mech, page 11]


I hope this answered your question! Let me know if any of my answers were confusing, or if you need further clarification!