Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday March 21, 1997

Birth of Pups

---

Last week we left the alpha female as she went into her den to prepare for the birth of her pups. This is one time when she works alone. While most female wolves will give birth to five or six pups, some litters have been known to be as small as two pups and others as large as ten.

In the darkness of the den the wolf pups are born. Each pup weighs in at about one pound and is born deaf and with their eyes closed. Like dog puppies, they are totally helpless and must depend upon the mother for food and protection. They are also unable to maintain their own body temperature so they must remain next to the mother to stay warm.

During the process of birth, the pups arrive at irregular intervals, some as often as five to ten minutes apart but usually twenty minutes to an hour apart. As each pup is born, the mother will lick it vigorously to remove the amniotic sac that surrounds the new pup. At about two to three inches above the pups body, she will then bite through the umbilical cord that served as the pup's lifeline while inside the mothers body. After thoroughly cleaning and drying the pup with her tongue, she will gently push the pup toward the nipples on her belly. The pup will begin to suck instinctively on the nipple taking in the warm milk that will help it through its young life. At this time the mother will protectively curl herself around the pup and wait until the next pup arrives. During the birth process and then just after, the mother will keep herself and the den clean and consume all waste that was produced.

As I said earlier, the newborn pups are blind and deaf and weigh only about one pound. Their fur is usually dark in color, they have ears that are small, heads that are rounded, and noses that are blunt with little, if any, sense of smell. Like most newborns, during the first couple of weeks they do little but eat and sleep. They stay close to their mother and littermates for warmth and will make a high pitch whining noise if they are cold or hungry. Even now the individual personalities of the pups are well defined. Some are far more aggressive than others and will push the others aside as they "belly up to the bar". These aggressive pups usually end up as a dominate member or a leader of the pack .

I must admit that not only are we good looking animals when we are full grown, but as pups were are extremely cute. Next week I will share with you what happens at about two weeks when our eyes open and we begin to see the world for the first time.

Cheyenne