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Wolves are extremely devoted to their mates. All wolves, and many of their relatives mate for life, breeding and raising pups approximately every two years when not in captivity. During the average twelve year life span, a pair of wolves will stay together entirely, leaving their mate only when separation is forced. A possible example of this is if, say, one of the pair has been fatally wounded. In the case of a mate dying, the surviving member of the pair will either remain without a mate for the rest of its life, or eventually take another wolf as its mate. A wolf cannot mate
until it is two years of age, but they do form in-pack friendships. Since only the leader of the pack can take a mate, packs usually consist of the mated pair, and then a second pair of mates (The Beta pair) that are not often allowed to breed. Other wolves too old or young to mate are also accepted in the pack. Often the Beta pair are not mated, and can even be of the same sex. If the leader loses a challenge, and is displaced from his dominant position, his mate will not accept the new leader as her mate, and will remain bonded to the original leader. In this, wolves are closer to humans than most animals. So, wolves are in fact the most devoted of mates.
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