Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The kissing wolves

How quickly a kiss can turn...

into something not so sweet.

;-)

There was surprisingly little outward agression within the packs, but like any happy family, each member knows their place. Mostly they seemed to communicate with their bodies; their posture, their eyes, the subtle showing of teeth.

Sort of like any of us before coffee in the morning.

I've read that this *kissing* among wolves is a left-over submissive behavior, a relic of their puppy days begging to be fed. A behavior that we witness in our couch-potato dogs, still. These two were siblings, if I remember correctly, and both seemed to relish the mouth to mouth contact.

8 comments:

cedrorum said...

I think your money spent getting these pictures was well worth it. Thanks for sharing them.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

These are beautiful pictures of the wolves. Most of us will never get the chance to see them up close like this. They have such thick caots. I'd be tempted to sink my fingers into that fur.

Mary said...

Laura, I'm loving these photos and your narrative. Funny...Chloe and Bella do the kiss and it usually turns into a teeth war - a playful one. Years ago I read "The Hidden Life of Dogs" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. It's a short read but describes wolf behavior we see in our domestic pups - if we pay attention.

RG said...

I think I remember an old girl friend sort of like this ...

bobbie said...

Beautiful pictures, Laura.

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