The Wolf Pup
In the southern parts of their range, wolves mate in February, usually about the middle of the month. The pups are born some sixty-three days later, in late April or early May, depending upon when the mother became pregnant. In the far north, because of the colder climate, mating usually takes place during March, and most pups are born in late May or early June, when the weather is warmer.
Wolf puppies come into the world with their eyes shut and almost entirely helpless. Their faces are blunt, their back legs are not yet properly developed, their ears are almost stuck to their heads and their tails are short and spindly.
A wolf mother usually gives birth to five or six pups, but she may have only one or as many as twelve. At birth they are between eight and nine inches long, including their short tails, and they weigh about a pound. Most are born with a brown coat of fine wool, but sometimes a puppy will have a dark, bluish coat and will grow up to be black all over, except for a white patch on its chest.
Wolf puppies grow quickly. Approximately eleven to fifteen days after birth, their eyes open. The eyes are blue then and do not turn the deep yellow color so characteristic of wolf eyes until the pups are about three months old.
The pups still get milk from their mother, but at four weeks old, they are starting to eat meat and gnaw on bones brought home by the members of the pack.
...Aren't they cute?
