Wolves are surprisingly loyal to their mates. A bond exists between the alpha pair that is not seen between them and the rest of the pack, or between other wolves in the pack. Some wolves, tired of being ordered around by their parents, often leave in hopes that they will start their own pack. They eventually find another wolf, and if they can cooperate will start a family together. Although wolves are monogamous and typically mate for life, this is not always the case. It used to be believed that in the event that one of the couple dies, the other wolf will not seek out another mate, but this is not true. Wolves have been known to have many mates in their lifetime, even simultaneously. Wolves will sometimes even leave their mates in search of a new one. There have even been cases where in a single wolf pack, there are two breeding females to one male.

The two are extremely loving towards each other, spending a lot of time cuddling and nuzzling with each other. This intensifies during breeding season, when the wolf pair get especially affectionate with each other, spending all of their time together nuzzling and cuddling. When his mate becomes pregnant, the male is extremely supportive of her, by providing plenty of food for their new family. The wolf society seems to be the most anti-sexist society in the animal kingdom; females are treated as equals by the males. All members of the pack, both male and female, hunt, play and eat together. Pregnant wolves and females with cubs under four weeks are treated with high regards from the rest of the pack, who are eager to help out. They provide her with plenty of food and protection. Other females in the pack often lactate (produce milk) at the same time as she does, so they often help to nurse the cubs. Weaning of the cubs is the responsibility of the entire pack as well. Younger members of the pack will also take turns babysitting the cubs when the older members go hunting.

Alpha Roles

It is well known that wolves have and maintain a hierarchy. But when most people are asked who is the most dominant, the alpha male or the alpha female, they would say that the alpha male is the dominant one. But most people would be astonished, or at least fascinated, to know that, in most packs, the two are equal. They both have equal but different duties. The alpha male's duties are scent marking, chasing away intruders, and managing the males in the pack by preventing them from mating. He also starts the pack's prehunting rallying and starts group ceremonial howls. He is, most of the time, the leader in the hunt, but in many areas, females have been seen leading the hunts. The alpha female's duties are to manage the females in the pack by prohibiting them from mating, choosing her mate and den site, and rearing the cubs. She will chose the exact paternity of her cubs; she usually mates with the alpha male, but sometimes chooses another mate. Her most important duty is choosing the den site, which can spell the life or death of the future generation. For instance, if the den is in an area where there is little prey, the cubs will become malnourished and die.

These things aside, the responsibilities of maintaining a wolf pack are shared equally, with each one directing certain aspects. It is generally viewed, however, that the females' responsibilities are slightly more important because she takes care of the tasks that create a pack. Human society is finally beginning to advance to the same level that wolf societies have been functioning at for millennia: equal opportunity leadership.

Mating Behavior: Courtship and Copulation

Wolves generally mate two months before spring arrives where they live, which is later the farther north they live. So wolves who live in the Arctic mate in April, and the wolves who live in Minnesota mate in January. Wolves who live in the southern parts of a continent, such as Mexican wolves, have no set mating period, because food availability is stable year-round. The cubs are born in the spring because that is the time that is most favorable for their survival; more food is available. Wolves mate only once a year, even if all the cubs die in that year's litter. During the breeding period, aggression and tension in the pack rises, and scent marking rises too.

During the mating season, the pair may move away from the other pack members temporarily to avoid interruption. The pair becomes highly affectionate with one another, cuddling and playing, and sleeping together. They will practice mutual grooming, and make quiet whining noises to one another. The male spends and increasing amount of time sniffing the female wolf's genitals, checking for receptivity. They will often urinate together, and scent mark together as well. The male will smell the female's urine during and after urination, again checking for receptivity (presence of sex hormones). If she is not receptive, she will snap at the male for his advances.

When the female enters oestrus, special changes take place to ensure that she is receptive. The first stage is called proestrus, or just estrus, where the females' vulva swells, she sheds the lining of her uterus, and sheds some blood from her vulva. She becomes very affectionate, but will not allow mating to take place. The next stage of oestrus is ovulation, and this is when mating takes place. The female will only remain receptive for five to seven days.

The male wolf, and all male canids, have a special bone in their penis called the baculum. This bone is wider and ring shaped at its base, this is called his "bulb", and when copulating this bulb swells, locking the male and female together in a copulatory "tie". In mating, the male wolf clasps the female wolf by her hips with his arms, and mounts her firmly. After penetration, the male thrusts his hips to stimulate ejaculation. After the initial ejaculation, the bulb of his penis swells, and the female's vagina swells as well, to anchor the penis in place. They remain tied together for anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. After the initial ejaculation, the pair may turn around 180 degrees, so that they face away from each other for the remainder of the time. This is so that they can defend themselves while copulating. The male will ejaculate up to five times during copulation. Secretions occur during copulation that help to make sure the sperm can reach the fallopian tubes.