Each pack also has the omega, which serves as the scapegoat or low man on the totem pole. As the pack grows, young or subordinate wolves, called dispersers, leave the birth pack. The dispersed wolf will find a lone wolf of the opposite gender in a new territory and join to become the alpha pair in order to form a new pack. Wolves reach sexual maturity at two to three years of age, and breeding usually occurs from December to April. 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.