Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Three clues from my data (Table 1) about the significance of SO are (1) that any pack member could be an active or passive participant, (2) the breeding female, post-reproductive female, and breeding male were most involved, and (3) in at least some of the cases, genital or inguinal sniffing was involved. From these data, I propose that SO is a posture that simply informs each Wolf of the reproductive status of the other, i.e., gender and degree of reproductive maturity and readiness.
Goodman and Klinghammer (1985) interpreted hugging as an agonistic, greeting, or courtship display. However, in the context in which I observed the behavior during summer, it appeared more to be a deliberate display of friendliness and affection than to fit in any of the other categories. I cannot explain why I only observed hugging in 1990, and an aborted attempt in 1992 (Table 2), except that in 1990 there were three adult Wolves and only a single pup in the pack. Thus food competition was minimal.
These observations greatly extend information about Wolf behavior, previously only described in captive situations, by placing the behaviors in their natural context. The hypotheses offered about their interpretation can be used to explore further their significance.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/standovr/disc.htm
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Menlo Park, CA [caww54]
