How long do wolves live

Gray wolves and their relatives, red foxes, have the largest natural range of any land-based mammal besides humans and possibly some rodents. Even with their habitat and population severely constricted by human activity, various subspecies of gray wolves can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia, and as far north as the Canadian Arctic and as far south as India. As their range indicates, gray wolves are able to live in many biomes, from Arctic tundra to dense forests, to mountains, to dry shrublands.

Wolves live in tight social units known as packs. The basic unit of a pack is a monogamous breeding pair. Beyond the founding male and female, wolf packs include their most recent litter, their offspring from previous years, and occasionally unrelated wolves. The average size is about 6, but packs exceeding 30 members have been observed. The breeding pair was once referred to as the alpha male and female, but some researchers believe that wolf hierarchy is not as rigid as those terms imply.

In rare circumstances, if a pack faces a high mortality rate or if there is an abundance of prey, other wolves in the pack may breed. Wolves mate once a year, generally in early spring. Pregnant females have a gestation period of about 63 days and produce litters of about four to seven pups.

After about 10 weeks, pups are weaned and become part of the pack. After a year or two a pup, now a young wolf, may leave in search of its own territory, or it may stay with the pack. Body language, such as eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and tail positions, can have specific meanings. When a wolf wants to challenge another wolf, it will growl or lay its ears back on its head. A playful wolf dances and bows. Barking is used as a warning, and howling is for long-distance communication to pull a pack back together and to keep strangers away.

Wolves live in packs. Most packs have four to nine members, but the size can range from as few as two wolves to as many as Occasionally a pack can increase to 30 members, until some individuals break off to find new territory and form their own pack. Within the pack hierarchy, there are male and female hierarchies. The alpha male is dominant over the entire pack, both males and females.

The alpha female and male are the only ones that breed. When the young adults reach the age of three, they can either join the pack or leave to find their own territory. The new territory can be close by if there is a lot of prey. In some areas, young adults travel hundreds of miles to find a new territory. Wolves typically mate for life. In the northern United States, they breed from late January through March. The breeding season is earlier for wolves living farther south.

Wolves are pregnant for about 63 days and usually birth four to six pups. The wolf pups are usually born in a den. At birth, they cannot see or hear and weigh about one pound.

The pups are weaned at about six weeks. Lovering holds a B. By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use. Life of the Wolf The grey wolf and the near-extinct red wolf are the two wolf breeds in North America.

Factors Affecting Life Span Wolves in the wild die much sooner on average than wolves in captivity. State Laws on Wolf Hybrids. In captivity however gray wolves live much longer years—probably as long as 17 or even 20 years.

There are many factors that influence the overall lifespan of gray wolf. Besides, the study suggests that more than half of the wolf pups are not able to reach adulthood.