We dont really have messaging here, so I'mma just ask you here.
Okay, so Imagine a tarzan scenario,but with wolves. is that possible? Would a child be accepted into a 'clan' if a 'mother' wold were to have found it?
And, if the answer is yes, would there be segregation between human and wolf? Or, because the human is more evolved, would it, as it grows older, become the 'leader?'
In some scenarios, animals can be known to take in human children, but most of the time, it depends heavily on the individual wolf--an established female of a pack's primary breeding pairs (the 'alpha female') may be more likely to defend a human infant than, say, a dispersal male (a 1- to 2-year-old wolf that has left the pack he was born into).
For the purposes of a fantastical story, it's certainly plausible, but realistically, highly unlikely. The infant could survive on milk provided it's late winter/early spring, if the mother is willing to let the infant nurse, and that the more active and mobile wolf pups don't crowd it out. Human babies nurse until about a year old, so ideally, if an infant is going to taken in by a wolf, it's during the time period that pups nurse, after the infant is fairly mobile (at least 6 months). Also, it's theoretically more likely that a she-wolf that has previously whelped would take a baby in, with a firmly established maternal instinct. (1/2)
However, after the pups are weaned, things get progressively more difficult for the infant. At 2 months, wolf pups are weaned, and the mother's milk runs dry. The longest window, then, would be 2 months for a baby to nurse. Things here get hard: if the mother wolf rejects the baby in favor of allowing her pups to nurse, it will starve. If the baby is too young and can't compete with the pups for milk, or if the pups crowd it out, it will starve. If the baby still needs milk after the she-wolf's milk dries, it will starve. After the mother and her pups abandon the den (2-2.5 months), it's possible the largely helpless infant may be abandoned. A one-year-old wolf pup is equivalent to a 15 year old human--at the very least, a human wolf need to be 8-10 years old to survive with any (2/?)
With any amount of independence. That's more than an average wolf's lifetime! This means not only one generous wolf would raise this baby, but potentially several generations of the pack.
After the baby is weaned, it may attempt to be fed regurgitated meat, like young pups are. Humans are omnivores though, so even if it became used to the raw, chewed-up meat, it wouldn't be very healthy for it.
In some cases (there's a documentary called Living With Wolves you may find helpful!) adult humans may, in very very rare cases, integrate themselves into a wolf pack. This means they are fairly respected, so they may influence a wolf pack's decision to "adopt" another human. For your story, if you choose to feature a grown human guardian, it could be a scientist, or another human that was possibly taken into the pack during childhood, at least 8-10 years old, maybe younger but that would be highly unlikely. This grown human, presuming they've been feeding themselves, can also (3/?)
Can also provide necessary food for the baby. If the baby is cared for during its first winter instead of abandoned (a baby/toddler would be a huge amount of effort and energy; imagine raising a child for 50 years, and at the end of that time they're barely kindergarten aged), it may continue to be cared for as long as there is a pack member in good standing to defend the baby. Because of the harsh winters, the infant/toddler will have to stay well protected from the cold, needing constant warmth from other wolves. Other things to consider: wolves that choose to stay with the pack rather than disperse (particularly, females tend to be more likely to stay with their birth pack) may bond with the baby more firmly than wolves that were adults at the baby's introduction. Even as an adult, the human would be highly susceptible to cold. I know I'm kind of rambling, but I hope this helps with your story, and I'd love to read it once you're done, if you don't mind! Feel free to (4/?)
Feel free to ask if you need any more info, and if you have time before your story is due, do a little research on feral children to learn how children may behave without human interaction during their youth (Oxana Malaya in particular is pertinent!) Thanks to @fasuara for letting me hijack your post! It's 5:15 am here so goodnight ^.^
Thanks! That helps a lot :D :)
I'll be sure to leave a link to my story once it's done. This was really helpful! Thanks for taking the time to answer my question! Goodnight!
Majority of males disperse, or leave the pack, after they turn a year old; some may wait until their 2nd year, but very few don't leave at all. The dispersal males will go solo until they find a female they like, and then that pair becomes the breeding pair of a brand-new pack. (Imagine getting kicked out of your house at 18, and being homeless until you find a lady to date. And then you build your own house...out of dirt. Wait, this is a bad analogy)
Edit: Faulty link. You lied to me
http://io9.gizmodo.com/why-everything-you-know-about-wolf-packs-is-wrong-502754629
funsub doesn't like periods after links
http://www.snopes.com/wolf-pack-photo/
Okay, so Imagine a tarzan scenario,but with wolves. is that possible? Would a child be accepted into a 'clan' if a 'mother' wold were to have found it?
And, if the answer is yes, would there be segregation between human and wolf? Or, because the human is more evolved, would it, as it grows older, become the 'leader?'
For the purposes of a fantastical story, it's certainly plausible, but realistically, highly unlikely. The infant could survive on milk provided it's late winter/early spring, if the mother is willing to let the infant nurse, and that the more active and mobile wolf pups don't crowd it out. Human babies nurse until about a year old, so ideally, if an infant is going to taken in by a wolf, it's during the time period that pups nurse, after the infant is fairly mobile (at least 6 months). Also, it's theoretically more likely that a she-wolf that has previously whelped would take a baby in, with a firmly established maternal instinct. (1/2)
After the baby is weaned, it may attempt to be fed regurgitated meat, like young pups are. Humans are omnivores though, so even if it became used to the raw, chewed-up meat, it wouldn't be very healthy for it.
In some cases (there's a documentary called Living With Wolves you may find helpful!) adult humans may, in very very rare cases, integrate themselves into a wolf pack. This means they are fairly respected, so they may influence a wolf pack's decision to "adopt" another human. For your story, if you choose to feature a grown human guardian, it could be a scientist, or another human that was possibly taken into the pack during childhood, at least 8-10 years old, maybe younger but that would be highly unlikely. This grown human, presuming they've been feeding themselves, can also (3/?)
I'll be sure to leave a link to my story once it's done. This was really helpful! Thanks for taking the time to answer my question! Goodnight!