MULTIPLE SAME-SEX SCENT-MARKING IN FREE RANGING PACKS OF GRAY WOLVES (CANIS LUPUS)

Scent-marking with urine has long been a known behavior of both the breeding male and breeding female members of Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) packs. In some captive wolf packs, members other than the breeding pair also scent mark, but we found no documentation that, in free-ranging packs, multiple same-sex members of both genders sometimes scent-mark. Thus, we document here multiple same-sex scent-marking in 2 wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park and add new social and demographic information relevant to this marking. These observations expand what is known about scent-marking in free-ranging wolves and indicate that such marking may have more functions than just advertising territories and signifying pair bonding which are currently thought to be the functions of scent-marking.