What is a Female Wolf Called – (She-Wolf & Luna Wolf)

Finding out what exactly a female wolf is called?

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Well, in a wolf pack, there are many members, and all members of the pack are classified and have assigned duties. 

Moreover, in a wolf pack, a female is called a she-wolf or a luna-wolf. Animal terms are used precisely, thus terms like she-wolf and luna-wolf don’t get utilized for every female wolf in a pack. 

Let’s discover why all female wolves are not called luna wolves, what is the general term for female wolves, and the background of a luna wolf.

What is a Luna Wolf?

The term luna is used for the female wolf, which is the leader of the pack. The female luna wolf is the dominant animal of the pack, leading the pack and making critical decisions.

 Moreover, the Luna wolf is responsible for maintaining the discipline and social structure of the pack. And it is the only female wolf breed with an alpha male wolf in a pack.

Responsibilities of a Luna Wolf

The primary duty of a luna female wolf is propagating the animal species by giving birth to pups. As in the pack, only alpha male and alpha female mates in the breeding season. 

The alpha male and female wolf mate once a year and reproduce on average nearly 4 to 6 pups per litter. 

What is a she-wolf?

It is a specific term used for female wolves, which is used for other female wolves of the pack. 

This compound word is derived from the American vocabulary, which means the female wolf. This term doesn’t inherently imply a negative or positive connotation concerning the animal on its own. 

Moreover, in colloquial terms, she-wolf is used for predatory women. Furthermore, this name is also believed to come from their predatory behavior. 

Responsibilities of a She-wolf

There are many responsibilities on a female or she-wolf. Such as giving birth to the pup and looking after them.

Plus, the she-wolves don’t have any specific position. It varies from alpha to omega, which means from highest to lowest rank wolves.

Nevertheless, the she-wolves are not alphas, and they take part in hunting. But it does not mean that they are powerless among their pack. 

As only a female wolf rules the wolf’s pack, and sometimes an alpha female wolf attacks the she-wolves to maintain control of her pack. 

Difference Between Male and Female Wolves

There is a notable difference between a male and a female wolf. Such as a male wolf has a total length of 1.65m from the snout to the end of the tail, and a female has  1.59m.

Plus, the male wolf is larger than the female wolf. For example, the adult gray wolf weighs around 70 to 145 pounds, while the female weighs 60 to 100 pounds. The weight varies depending on the subspecies of a wolf. 

For example, the largest subspecies of the gray wolf is the male Russian wolf, which weighs 152 to 176 lbs. The Russian wolf is found throughout Europe and the northern regions of Asia. 

The Luna Wolf in Roman Mythology

According to the history of the roman empire, the she-wolf played a crucial part in it. The lupa or she-wolf had rescued, fed, and raised two brothers, Romulus and Remus. 

This story further tells that Luna Wolf found these twin brothers, which were thrown in the wild on the orders of King Amulius.

Then the lupa wolf took these brothers into her den, which is known as Lupercal. Moreover, the wolf fed the brothers with her milk until they could survive independently.

Later on, these twin brothers founded the Rome city and Roman Empire. This story was formed by the roman empire and continued from generation to generation in royal Romans. Additionally, this story has great importance in Roman history.

What’s the Difference Between a She-Wolf and a Luna Wolf?

The term She-wolf is used for any female member of the wolf pack. However, the term luna is specifically used for the alpha female wolf.

This is the major difference between a she-wolf and a luna-wolf. Even the responsibilities of them are different.

There’s a difference between the position of she-wolf and luna-wolf. However, the alpha wolf is sometimes accountable for ruling the pack.

Another major thing that differs from them is the she-wolf rarely mates with the alpha male, while the luna- the wolf is a lifetime monogamous partner of the alpha-male wolf.

Female Wolf Rank in the Packs

A wolf pack has a unique hierarchy for the males and females. Which has classified the male and females as alpha, beta, and omega.

What Is a Beta Female Wolf?

The female beta wolf is the second in the order and guides the alpha female wolf. Plus, keep the entire pack arranged when alpha females are not present. ‘

What Is an Alpha Female Wolf?

The alpha female is the dominant member of a wolf pack. All other females obey her orders and help her raise her pups. 

Moreover, the alpha female is like a queen of a wolf pack. She is treated like a queen, for example only she can eat first with the alpha male.

Additionally, if she has given birth lately, she wouldn’t join the pack for hunting rather she stays in the den and rest with her pups. 

With this, when the alpha male return with the hunted prey, he hand over the food to his alpha female wolf. This shows the importance of the alpha female wolf in a pack. 

Wolves keep only one mating partner for their entire life. The alpha male and females have strong bonding and status in the pack, and if the alpha male dies, then the alpha female losses her position.

Due to losing the alpha male, the alpha female goes into deep grief and cannot fulfill her duties. And the dead male alpha replaces by a new male wolf.

Final Words:

In a wolf pack, a female wolf is called by different terms, like alpha, beta, omega, and she-wolf. All these terms are based on their assigned duties and rank. The alpha wolf is the queen of the pack and is treated like an important part of the pack. 

And on the other side, the female she-wolves, beta-wolves, and omega wolves are the caregivers of the Alpha-wolf.

As a wolf’s pack is based on hierarchy. Moreover, there’s a significant difference between a male and a female wolf. For more detail, you can watch the video below and or explore topics like the types of Rottweilers to delve into specific characteristics within dog breeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Female Wolf Called?

The term used for a female wolf is a she-wolf. 

When do female wolves breed?

The mating season of the wolves starts in February to March, and the pups are born in mid-May. The gestation period remains for 60 to 63 days. 

What is an Omega Female Wolf?

The omega females wolves are at the lowest rank among females in a wolf pack.

What is a Luna Wolf?

A Luna wolf is a female wolf that is a queen of the pack. With the alpha male, the female Luna wolf is at the top of the pack hierarchy with major responsibilities.

Olivia Kepner