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This image portrays Ethiopian wolves mating.
Mating
Mating
Like many land animals Ethiopian wolves reproduce via internal fertilization, meaning that fertilization occurs inside the body; the sperm has to make it's way to the egg inside the female reproductive tract. In this situation a dominate female wolf would increase her scent (pheromones) and plays or begs for food from the dominate male in order to get his attention, while expressing an aggressive behavior towards the other females in the pack. The mating period takes about 3-5 days which involves intercourse of at least 15 minutes. Once the female is fertilized the gestation period takes up to 60-62 days; in which she will produce from 2-6 pups.
The life cycle of a wolf from a pup into adulthood.
A mother Ethiopian wolf with her 6 pups.
Ethiopian wolf pup with their charcoal grayish fur.
Lifecycle
Lifecycle
Female Ethiopian wolves make a den in preparation for giving birth. When the pups are born they are born with no teeth and their eyes completely shut and their fur is a charcoal gray with thick puff of fur in their under areas and chest. After 3 weeks this charcoal gray fur starts to be replaced with the fiery red fur that adult Ethiopian wolves have. Pups go through 3 stages, when they are 1-4 weeks old they are very dependent on their mothers. Once they are 5-10 weeks old they enter the second stage where they are weaning from their mother's milk and start to emerge with the pack and eat the regurgitated food provided by the pack. The third stage the pups are now 10 weeks to 6 months old and are eating the solid food provided by them from the pack. Once they reach 2 years they are full adults have both female and male have reached sexual maturity. Usually males would remain in their natal pack, and small group of females would leave and find their own packs. This increases the inbreeding in packs and breeding outside the pack happens often when males go out to copulate with females in different packs.
The life expectancy for an Ethiopian wolf in the wild is 8-10 year but there has been cases of this species reaching up to 12 years.
References:
Bunker, A. (n.d.). Canis simensis (Ethiopian wolf). Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Canis_simensis/#:~:text=Ethiopian%20wolves%20mate%20over%20a,young%20of%20the%20dominant%20female.
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