After a 63 day gestation period, four to fourteen pups may be born, with the average litter producing five to six pups. Wolves communicate in three ways. They use howling to locate and identify each other, to assemble the pack, to find a separated individual, to advertise occupancy of their territory, and to avoid direct conflicts with other packs. Wolves prefer to feed upon large ungulates such as deer, elk, moose, and bison. They are opportunistic feeders.
Wolves feed on flesh, bones and other animal matter from the carcass.
Once a wolf is full, it may leave the carcass unattended for other predators and scavengers to use, but it often returns to feed again and again until the carcass is completely consumed. A wolf must have 2.5 pounds of food per day, but five pounds is needed for reproductive success. Any material that is left over from the carcass provides food for coyotes, ravens, eagles, and other smaller predators. Consider that a pack will consume up to 80 pounds of food per day. This may be one reason that wolf packs usually concentrate on large ungulates rather than smaller livestock like sheep.