These two animals are dominant over all the other wolves in the pack. The alpha male and female are the only wolves that breed and produce pups in the pack, and they also get to eat first at kills. Wolf pups are born in the spring after a gestation period of around 63 days. A female can have anywhere between one and nine pups, but the average litter size is four pups. The pups are born with their eyes closed and are totally helpless.
Pups weigh about one pound at birth.
The female stays in the den nursing and caring for her pups while the other pack members hunt and bring back food for her to eat. Wolf pups grow very quickly. At three weeks they begin to play inside the den. Two weeks later they weigh 13 pounds and have begun wandering outside the den under the watchful eye of their mom. This is when their mother starts to wean them from milk.