The act of a wolf licking the mouth of a pack member, known as muzzle licking, is a complex social behavior rooted in evolutionary history. It serves two distinct, yet interconnected, purposes within the pack structure. This communication tool begins as a matter of survival and is later ritualized to maintain the social order and cohesion of the group. Understanding this behavior requires looking at the nutritional needs of young wolves and the hierarchy of the adult pack.
Seeking Sustenance: The Role in Feeding
The primary reason for a wolf to lick the mouth of another is to solicit food. Pups, who are too young to join the pack on hunts, rely on the adults to be provisioned with solid food. This involves the pup rapidly licking and nudging the muzzle of a returning adult wolf. This action serves as a direct stimulus, triggering the adult wolf to regurgitate partially digested meat. This begging behavior is effective, allowing adults to disgorge food for the recipients. The regurgitated meal is an efficient way to transport nourishment back to the den site, ensuring the young receive the necessary protein and calories before they are able to hunt independently.
Maintaining Order: Communication and Submission
As wolves mature, mouth-licking transitions from a nutritional request into a social signal used by adults. This action becomes a form of active submission, serving as a sign of deference to higher-ranking wolves, such as the breeding pair. A subordinate wolf approaches a dominant one with a lowered posture and flattened ears, then engages in muzzle licking to signal non-aggression and acceptance of the pack’s hierarchy. This ritualized greeting helps prevent conflict and maintain peace within the social group. The subordinate communicates acceptance of authority by using a behavior associated with defenseless pups. By showing respect, the subordinate diffuses potential tension and reaffirms its role, which is crucial for pack stability.
From Ancestors to Pups: The Origin of the Behavior
The mouth-licking behavior is an innate action retained and repurposed throughout a wolf’s life. It originates as the pups’ primary method of obtaining solid food from returning adults. This food-begging mechanism is hardwired and was perpetuated due to its success for survival in canid species. Over evolutionary time, this juvenile behavior was ritualized into a social tool for adults, serving as a powerful appeasement gesture. This pattern is not unique to wolves; domestic dogs, which share a common ancestry, often display similar face or mouth-licking behaviors when greeting humans or other dogs. These actions in dogs are interpreted as a form of greeting, bonding, or submission, underscoring the deep evolutionary roots of this canine interaction.