Wolf Behavior:
Wolves in the wild are afraid of humans and go out of there way avoid contact with them. Even though people are expanding into the few remaining areas where wolves are found in large numbers, there have never been any documented instances of healthy wolves attacking humans in North America and only one instance of a rabid wolf doing so. No doubt much of the widespread fear of wolves is the result of humans encounters with dogs allowed to run wild. There have been far more reported instances of wild dogs attacking people than of wolves ever doing so. Usually in places where wolves roam, people are not conscious of their presence. Wolves are extrememly social animals who depend on each other for food and protection. Wolves live and travel in family groups called packs that can be made up of two to 12 or more members. Though in these modern times a wolf pack usually consists of 7-8 members. The pack organization aids wolves in protecting themselves from outsiders. But, there is a system of dominance within the pack which determines social order and helps to keep members from fighting. Not fighting is important because wolves have extremely sharp teeth and are very strong so they could very easily injure one another. Packs are governed by an Alpha pair, usually the only pair to breed. The alpha male, who submits to no one, and to who all the other wolves have to defer and likewise, an alpha female, to whom all other females must defer. The other wolves are ranked similarly, for each gender, with every wolf having a rank or place in line where they must submit to anyone higher than they are, but can bully or dominate the wolves below them in rank. The second-in-command being the "beta" and the lowest wolf as the "omega". These omegas have no one under them and often are harassed so much they leave the pack. If lucky enough to find a mate, and if there is enough territory available for them, they sometimes are able to start a new pack of their own. Rank is usually determined by the size and strength of each wolf. Lower ranking wolves will usually always give up a fight to a higher ranking wolf in their pack. Dominance also can be accessed by the way a wolf carries its tail; with higher dominance the tail is held higher while lower dominance the tail is held lower. A wolves tail position also shows other wolves what they are feeling: Sad the tail is held between legs. Ashamed the tail is between legs then coming back out. Happy the tail is up and wagging. Angry and ready to attack the tail is straight out. The ears and eyes also help wolves communicate with each other and with humans who know the signs: When suspicious the ears are back and the eyes are squinting. If afraid the ears are laid flat against head. When fighting, wolves look fierce; they lift their lips in a snarl, bare their teeth, raise their tail, put its ears forward, and make itself look as big and threatening as possible. The hackles, the fur along the top of its back, will automatically go up. But when the subordinate wolf gives up a fight and submits, it tries to make itself look small and non-threatening by tucking it's tail under the belly, laying it's ears back flat and it rolling over on its back. It then lets the other wolf stand overtop of it in dominance while licking its muzzle and "letting it know that it's boss". Mostly though wolves in a pack treat each other with respect and play with each other.

Every pack has its own territory for hunting and the pack spends approximately 8 to 10 hours of every 24 hour period on the move, usually looking for food. At full speed wolves can run at close to 30 mph. Wolves are crepuscular, meaning that they are most active around dawn and dusk, and often rest during most of the middle of the day and night. A wolf pack can have a range of territory that spreads up to 60 miles, sometimes even larger in certain areas. Wolves do not hunt in large packs, most of the time just within the family. It is only by hunting in groups and cooperating with each other that wolves are able to catch enough food to survive. Wolves are predators and generally hunt other animals, mostly hooved mammals called ungulates. Their diet usually consists of: deer, caribou, musk oxen, beaver, dall sheep, mountain goat, fish, carrion, elk, marmot, bison, moose, big horn sheep, small mammals and birds. In the "wild west" days they used to hunt buffalo, which are pretty much extinct too. Wolves will also eat varying types of food including meat, bone, sinew, invertebrates, berries and plants for greater versatility and survival. Until the later 19th century they were the major predator in the western mountain ranges for thousands of years. While wolves prefer larger prey they are not that adept at catching it. One study by biologists have shown that when wolves hunt deer, an average of 84 to 87 deer out of 100 escape. The ones that are caught are usually either the sick, weak, diseased, injured, and the very young or old. Removing these animals supports the vigor of the prey species population and helps to maintain the balance of the eco-system. Another previous test done by scientists showed that when 17 moose were released in front of a pack of wolves 7 of the moose got away before the wolves got anywhere close and by the end of the test the wolves had only caught one out of the 17, all the others got away. Even with teamwork, it is difficult for wolves to catch large prey. Healthy deer can outrun wolves, while large animals like moose or bison often stand their ground until the wolves give up. It is also dangerous for the wolves to hunt large animals like the moose because of their large body mass and deadly hooves. Rather than waste time going after healthy prey they seek out those that appear old or sick. Wolves have become skilled at testing animals by getting them to run and observing their weaknesses before coming in for the kill. When wolves can't catch or find larger prey they then resort to smaller animals such as beavers, other small mammals and birds. They will even hunt mice when food is in short supply. Normally a wolf eats on average about 18 lbs (8 kg) at a meal. This meal can last for a couple days. However, if an adult wolf has eaten a lot after a successful hunt, it can survive for a couple weeks without eating.

It is said that wolves mate for life. But occasionally, the alpha wolf may mate with other wolves in the pack, but this is considered a rarity. Wolves have one breeding season each year, anytime between early January and late April depending on where they live. The further north, the later in the season they breed. It takes 63 days after breeding to have puppies. This is the same as the dog. It should be, since dogs came from the same creodonts as wolves. The pups will be born in an den. A den is sometimes a small cave or a hole dug out of the ground. It has to be big enough for the mother and her pups. It will shelter them from the weather and protects the pups from other animals that could try to hurt them. Packs will sometimes use the same den constantly or make or find a new one each year. On average four to six pups are born to a litter, but few survive the rigors of their first year. However, a litter can range in size from two to twelve pups. The adult wolves in the pack all pitch in with the responsibilities of raising, caring and watching out for the pups. The pups weigh approximately one pound each at birth, and cannot see, hear, smell, or keep warm by themselves. At first they live only on milk the mother feeds them and the other pack members bring food to the den for her to eat. The mother stays with her pups until they are three weeks old. Their eyes will open about 10 to 15 days later. At two weeks of age they can walk. Three weeks or so after birth, the pups will begin to explore outside the den. Sometimes the mother carries the pups to another den to guard them from harm. As the pups get a little older, they are left at safe site, with an adult wolf as a baby-sitter, while the rest of the pack hunts for food. When there are pups in the pack, adults have to eat a lot, after a kill, and bring extra food back inside their stomachs. After the pups greet the adults by licking and biting the corners of their mouths, the adult wolves regurgitate some of the partly digested food, so that the pups may eat. This sounds terrible to us, but wolf pups just love it! Without this happening the pups would starve. Pups and juveniles need much more food for their body weight than adults do. A puppy can eat up to two pounds of food per day. Wolf pups love to play. They roll around wrestling and chase each other much like a dogs puppies do. Sometimes their games look like practice for the things they will do as adult wolves. Pups have been observed playing with bones, feathers or the skins of dead animals. As they get bigger they begin to hunt small animals, like rabbits and mice which is more practice for the day they join the pack on their first real hunt. By fall, when the pups are about 6 months old, they have reached 80 percent of their adult size, look almost like adult wolves and are able to travel with the pack as they hunt throughout the winter. Wolves are fully grown physically at 18 months, but females reach maturity at age 2 and males at age 3. Many wolves will stay with their birth packs, but some split off in search of mates and territories at the age of 22 to 24 months.

In extreme cold weather adult wolves can restrict the flow of blood to the skin to conserve heat, which gives them the ability to regulate their body temperatures and adapt to changes in the weather. However, the puppies cannot, so they must stay close to the warmth of an adult wolf. Wolves usually sleep curled up in a ball and use their bushy tail to cover the feet and nose. By placing the tail over the nostrils the tail traps the heat that is exhaled and warms the footpads and nose thereby conserving heat in the body of the wolf. In this way, it can easily survive temperatures well below zero. When the wolf's feet are in contact with ice or snow, the temperature of the wolf's footpads remains at just above the tissue freezing point which is another factor that has helped the wolf to survive in harsh climates.