Baby Wolves: 7 Wolf Pup Facts
#1: Baby Wolves Are Born With Deep Blue Eyes
Wolf pups are born with gorgeous, deep blue eyes. Their mother’s milk contains a protein called “lactoferrin,” which helps protect newborns’ eyes from infection and keeps them healthy.
But did you know their eyes aren’t always this color? As wolf pups grow up, their eyes turn darker, eventually turning into a gold, amber, orange, green, or even silver color.
Some wolf pups may even end up growing light gray eyes, which can be confused for blue eyes from a far away.
#2: The First Grey Wolf Pups Were Recently Sighted in Colorado for the First Time in 80 Years!
A pack of grey wolves was recently sighted in Colorado by a biologist for the first time since the 1930s. This pack was introduced into the state in November 2018, where they are being monitored closely. While it is still too early to tell how successful the program is, the biologists say that the pups are doing well.
Before this, grey wolves were never in the area because people killed them during the 1940s. However, the reintroduction project was put in place in 2016, and the wolves were moved from Wisconsin to Colorado. They were placed in the San Isabel National Forest, just outside of Pagosa Springs.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife department managed to capture two adults, named John and Jane, and one female cub. After releasing them into the wild, they were able to successfully raise the cubs. The cubs were born in July 2019, and they were given names as soon as they were born.
#3: Baby Wolves are Deaf and Blind at Birth
When baby wolves are born, they are blind and deaf because their eyes and ears aren’t fully developed. Their eyes don’t open until five weeks old. They’re also blind because their retinas haven’t formed yet.
The first thing a mother wolf does when she gives birth is take care of her pup. She cleans him off and licks his face. Then she nurses him. This helps develop his tongue and lips. His nose will start growing soon.
After a few days, he’ll begin opening his eyes. He’ll also learn how to use his mouth to eat. Soon after, he’ll be able to walk and run. At one month old, he’ll be ready to go out into the wild.
He’ll continue to mature over the next several months. By three months old, he’ll be able jump high enough to stand on his hind legs.
By four months old, he’ll have grown a full set of teeth.
#4: Baby Wolves are Seriously Tiny!
The world of parenting is full of surprises, and one of those surprises is how big baby animals really are. A newborn wolf pup weighs just over a pound, and it takes around three weeks for the little guy to grow into a fully grown adult weighing up to 50 pounds. This makes sense because it’s hard to imagine a tiny creature growing into a giant animal overnight.
But even though wolf pups start out small, they don’t stay there for long. As soon as they reach adulthood, they begin gaining weight rapidly. Adult male wolves typically gain around 3.3 pounds per week, while female wolves gain slightly less at 2.8 pounds per week. If you want to know what else happens during this period of rapid growth, keep reading.
#5: Only a Few Females in a Wolfpack Have Babies
Wolves are social animals, which means they live in packs. A pack consists of a group of related individuals living together. Pack members usually form strong bonds with each other, and often hunt together. In addition, a pack typically includes both males and females. However, it isn’t always easy being a wolf. They must navigate life in a harsh world full of dangers like humans and other predatory species. To survive, they must learn how to work together, communicate effectively, and protect themselves against threats.
The most important thing a wolf needs to know is how to become an alpha wolf. An alpha wolf is the leader of a pack. He or she controls everything within the pack, including mating decisions and the protection of his or her offspring. When a wolf becomes an alpha, he or she is no longer subordinate to another wolf; rather, he or she takes charge of the entire pack. Alpha status is earned over time, and it is based on dominance rank. Rank determines the amount of territory owned by each individual in the pack. Higher-ranking wolves tend to occupy larger territories.
In the wild, wolves don’t normally have much contact with people. But some domesticated wolves have been bred specifically for human interaction. These dogs are called pet wolves. Pet wolves are usually kept inside homes, where they spend most of their lives interacting with humans. Like pets, pet wolves are fed regularly, groomed, and cared for. Some pet wolves even go to school to receive training.
#6: Wolf Pups Only Stay with Their Mothers for Two Years
The average life span of a wild wolf is about 10 years, but some survive much longer. A few lucky ones even live up to 20 years old. Wolves are social animals, and being raised alongside their siblings helps them grow stronger. But once a wolf reaches around two years old, it begins to explore the world on its own.
Once a baby wolf turns 2 it will separate from the rest of the pack it was born in and travel away on its alone. This is because the young wolves don’t want to stick around and become too attached to the pack. They still rely on the adults to protect them, but they need to learn how to fend for themselves.
Some baby wolves go on to form new packs, while others remain on their own – this is known as a lone wolf. Lone wolves can sometimes end up joining another pack later in life, but most never do.
#7: Wolf Pups are Only Born in the Winter
Wolves don’t give birth every year, like dogs do. Instead, they only have one reproductive cycle each year, and it takes place during winter months. This means baby wolves are only born once per calendar year, usually sometime between January and March. In fact, some scientists believe there are fewer than 10,000 wolves left in North America today.
Baby wolves are born in a dens and their mothers birth them alone. They’re completely helpless at birth, and they rely on their mother for food and protection. After about three weeks, the cubs start exploring outside of the den. At around six weeks old, they begin hunting small animals such as rabbits and squirrels. By eight weeks old, they’ve grown into fully fledged adults.
