Mating and Parenting of Wolves, Comparison of Human Behaviours and Wolf Behaviours

The concept of animal behaviour is considered to refer to everything about animals’ actions. These include movement and other activities underlying mental processes. The origins of the scientific study of animal behaviour lies within the works and explorations by European thinkers of the 17th and 19th centuries. British naturalists; John Ray and Charles Darwin and French naturalist Charles LeRoy “appreciated the complexity and apparent purposefulness of the actions of animals,” well knowing that understanding behaviour demanded a long-term observation of animals in their natural settings (Sherman, n.d.). These biologists recognized that behaviours of animals are due to adaptations that exist. Factors within animals’ behaviour can include communication and social living, learning, cognition and memory and mating and parenting. These factors are classified as innate or learned.

A truly outstanding animal; wolf is one of two wild doglike carnivores’ species. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is also one of the most adaptable of all land mammals, the wolf or the most frequently recognized wolf species. It is the biggest non-domestic dog family member (Canidae) living in the Northern Hemisphere in vast fields of vegetation kinds. The wolf is a highly systematic social structure revolving around a dominant male and dominant female.

In this extended research task, it focuses on the topic mating and parenting by the animal species; wolves. It will later explore and discover how human behaviours and wolf behaviours are similar to each other.

Mating

As humans, it's simple to get lost in the manner we live, particularly in terms of social relations. While many individuals may have numerous romantic relationships in their lifetime, there is a powerful tendency to establish a single, monogamous connection. This is because the whole society is surrounded by moral systems, law and societal norms. But beings are only one species of animal and not all may behave the same.

A mating system was therefore built to portray how an animal community is structured by sexual reproduction and bonding behaviours. There are four main mating systems: monogamy, polyandry, polygyny, and polygynandry. Like beings, the wolves' mating system is monogamy, meaning two animals ' mate with each other. Due to there being a structural mating system, the type of animal behaviour within the wolf is innate; meaning it has been inherited. The other systems generally involve reproducing with different partners. For example, the female gray mouse lemurs benefit from the rare system Polyandry; female mating with multiple males (Welsh, 2011).

The oestrous cycle is the primary reproductive cycle of other female species of non-primate vertebrates. For Polyoestrous animals, seasonally Polyoestrous animals, and Monstrous creatures, there are various types of this process. Monstrous humans are animals with an annual oestrous cycle. The wolves are separated from the monstrous creatures in this situation.

There are three main phases within the Oestrus Cycle; the first stage is the proestrus stage where the alpha pair prepare before oestrus. Followed up by the first stage is oestrus which is the period where the pair mate. Lastly there is the gestation period where metestrus and diestrus occurs.

Anoestrus is not a stage in the cycle however, it is a prolonged period of sexual rest and the reproductive system is inactive and recovers. Wolves begin to breed between two and three years of age; from then on it’s said to mate for life.

Wolf reproductive bonds are easily rival or exceeds the typical human marital bond in their strength of courtship and breeding. With wolves, sexual activity, indicates the intensity of courtship behaviour. It ultimately emphasises the emotional ties and displays how sexual activity is not unique to sexual activity. Due to their strong level of courtship and attachment before oestrus, the levels continue to remain substantial year-round. Their breeding cycle can start as early as November or December the year before; where the alpha pairs, build their courtship. Hormone levels in both sexes start to rise during this period, to prepare for the mating season when the alpha female is in oestrus. This phase before oestrus is called the proestrus. This begins with the onset of bloody discharge from the vulva. Once discharge begins to appear, the female will actively body rub, paw and chin rest on her mate, also known as the alpha male of the pack. She will then stand in front of the male presenting her rear end to be sniffed. The alpha males are always near their alpha female, however, to ensure that no other pack member, or another alpha male ‘takes’ his alpha female, the male will scent her and put his urine all over her. During courtship or in general Proestrus stage, the alpha pair will stay away from other packs or their own pack members to avoid interruption during this preparation. In the animal species, wolves, alpha pairs will always go together as it is almost systematic. Therefore, the phrase “Males are promiscuous, and females are coy,” is a false statement towards wolves. Both genders are equal promiscuous, neither is coy. Alpha pair as stated before are highly sexual specie of animals. The only reason behind these assumptions are based on the differences in size and presumed energy cost of producing sperm versus eggs (Tang-Martinez, 2017).

Oestrus

At this stage, it will be between January and April; where the phase of copulation occurs, and the female is fertile; commonly known as Oestrus. A sign to distinctively announce her change of behaviour from being at proestrus to oestrus is the female will ‘stand’ for the male with her tail averted. If this fails to show, the female will paw, rub, straddle or climb the male. A success mating includes the multiple rapid pelvic thrusts by the male to build up ejaculation before becoming tied with the female. This tie can last up to 30 minutes or longer. During the time of the tie, the male and female remain standing or lie rear to rear with the male dismounted by raising one leg over the female’s back. The total number of copulations by result of the mating can greatly vary between different pairs.

The “pregnancy stage” can also commonly be known as the gestation period. Gestation period for wolves last between 60-63 days. During the gestation period metestrus and diestrus occurs. Metestrus approximately lasts for 4-6 days. This characterizes the activity of the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. The levels of progesterone that are produces are high and continue to stay high through pregnancy and even if pregnancy does not occur. Afterwards, diestrus occurs this is when the wolf is sexually inactive between the recurrent periods of oestrus.

Near the end of April to middle of May, cubs are born and undergo through 4 major developmental periods; neo-natal stage, Transition stage, socialisation stage and Juvenile stage. After two or more years in the pack, many wolves may leave to search for a mate, discover a new territory or even star their own pack. Those who remain in their original pack might eventually replace a parent to become an alpha.

Parenting

In recognition, gray wolves are excessively social creatures that live in packs. In fact, one of the most socially active animals existing. Each member in the pack are responsible for helping with caring and upbringing the cubs. The pack includes; the alpha pair, the previous year’s offspring and multiple adult wolves that may or may not be related to the alpha breeding pair. This pack, as in many families will gather and supply resources to support a successful development process for the newborn pups.

During the gestation period, if not already established, the den or ‘home’ for their cubs will be chosen and dug out by both females and males. It can be helped out by other members in their pack also. Their site for the den is consisting of a natural hole or a burrow generally near water or sandy buffs. Water near their den site allows the female to have a large supply of water as it is essential for her while she produces milk for her cubs. Sandy buffs are the most favourable sites for the family as it funds tree foots; allowing it to protect the roof from collapsing and the entrance of the site from being dug out. If none of these are available, caves, crevices or holes under tree are also commonly uses. This den provides for females in the pack to stay with pups for the first few weeks to care for them; as they are completely helpless at birth. It also ensure that their own pack marks territory; in addition, it prevents any intrusion from other neighbour or broadly any pack and any predators.

For the first 45 days, the alpha female, the “mother”, will nurse the pups. She will provide them with regurgitated food to eventually learning how to eat meat. Pack members will bring food for the alpha to eat so she can concentrate on caring for her pups without needing to leave them alone to hunt. Other members can also regurgitate food for the pups to continue the social order and maintain the bonding process within the pack. To eat, the pups jump at the adult wolves’ faces and bite at their muzzles to encourage the regurgitation.

The primary component of a developed adult wolf’s diet is meat from various animals. This includes elk, deer, caribou, moose, beavers and rabbits. At about five weeks, the mother weans her pups so they can begin eating meat on their own without regurgitation. After weaning, the alpha female will carry her pups above ground or to “rendezvous” sites for the pups to play together and learn to hunt insects and small rodents. At 4 months old, once their teeth has developed, the pups will begin hunting with the adult wolves.

The alpha female will continue to bring her pups to the regular hunting with the adults. By the time the pups are half a year old they will be able to roam about 2-3 mils away from “rendezvous” sites. They will gradually stop using the sites and begin to follow the adults in the pack. This will require very little care towards the pups and will gradually become less. At age 2 the pups will leave the pack to find their own territory.

Human Behaviour & Wolf Behaviour

While majority of society see wolves as vicious killers to be feared and hates. Unfortunate for those agree with the ‘stereotypical’ wolf, wolves has many commonalities with humans. Wolves and humans both adapt, eat the same things, communicate and generally survive similarly. Both species are territorial and evolved in families. Members of any healthy family assume specific roles to ensure the family thrives. For example, the mother and father or ‘alphas would make all decisions like mating and control the pack (Lamplugh, 2015). In particular to ‘mating’ and ‘parenting’, the mother (alpha) presents a unique perspective on mothering, especially as it relates massively to a human mother. These animal mothers demonstrate excellent motherhood skills as they prepare for and eventually take of their young. Like human mothers, the wolf mother begins preparing for her young long before the pups are present. “She is the creature of life, the giver of life, and the giver of abundant love, care and protection. Such are the great qualities of a mother.” This quote by archaeologist and scholar; Ama H. Vanniarachchy mentions how these traits of ‘love’, ‘care’ and ‘protection’ creates a great mother. This thoroughly supports the idea of how similar human and wolf mothering are alike. Both specie of mothers, create, nurture, supply and encourage a successful development this is seen by supplying homes, feeding them, taking care of them and more. Lastly, their reproductive cycle are quite similar. Both species naturally fertilizes by sexual activity, the only major difference is the duration of each phases and how many kids they have.