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    Photos: Sex of Rare Wolf Pups Revealed

    A litter of fuzzy little maned wolf pups born at a conservation center in Virginia have gotten their first checkup, revealing the adorable animals' sex for the first time.

    The verdict? It's a boy, and a boy, and a girl, and a girl! At least, veterinarians are relatively convinced that the litter of four contains two of each sex; they'll have to confirm later, when the pups are older and their sex more obvious.

    The four maned wolf pups were born Jan. 5 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Va. These South American wolves are listed as "near threatened" in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, largely because humans are encroaching on wolf habitat. As adults, maned wolves have thick fur on their necks, giving them their name. [See pictures of the pups]

    Breeding the wolves in captivity is tricky, perhaps because captive diets do not replicate wild diets for these animals. The parents of the four new pups, Salina and Nopal, are on a special diet formulated to more closely represent the omnivorous chow of maned wolves in the wild.

    At a routine checkup on Thursday (Feb. 16), veterinarians gave the new pups their first vaccinations. Each little wolf weighed in between 4 and 5 pounds (1.8 and 2.3 kilograms).

    "All of the pups were bright, appeared in good health and are starting to get just a bit feisty," SCBI veterinary technician Lisa Ware said in a statement.

    The pups will get their next round of vaccinations in three weeks. SCBI scientists hope the animals will eventually grow up to breed, increasing the genetic diversity of captive maned wolves and helping to maintain a self-sustaining population of this threatened animal.

    You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

     
    • Steven  •  Orange, California  •  3 mths ago
      Those are great photos!
      • s 3 mths ago
        hell yea they are
      • R 3 mths ago
        You are too funny. Love it !
      • Ag 3 mths ago
        I love the black and white symbolism.
    • Alexis  •  Salt Lake City, Utah  •  3 mths ago
      Nice Pics! Sheeesh!
      • tlcnor 3 mths ago
        Sarcasim or you didnt' see the link?
    • 2centsisfree  •  North Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      "Photos: Sex of Rare Wolf Pups Revealed"

      Photos... !@#$!!!!
    • Piper  •  3 mths ago
      Leave those wolf pups in privacy while they have sex you furry freaks!
      • Dento's Girl 3 mths ago
        Furry and proud. FYI, I don't do what you accuse us of.
      • Zoey 3 mths ago
        Come now! We "Furries", are NOT into that stuff. D: Dento's, is very correct. :3 Well, MOST furries, don't do that sort of #$%$ that you "normal" people, accuse furries of doing. O_OHowever, wolf PUPS, mating is not possible, at their age. x]
      • stillplayingpsolol 3 mths ago
        Aha, furries were banned from san jose after "that incident" two-years ago... Oh god, poop smeared in the elevators, sex everywhere (in fursuits and not), and everything was a mess and they pretty much destroyed the hotel. Last time I go to a communist party with fursuiters.
    • Patty  •  Knoxville, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      My Lord it doesn't take a vet to recognize the sex of a canine... what a dumb thing to write!!!
      • john t 3 mths ago
        It makes you wonder. Maybe the researchers are blind and are uncomfortable grabbing them by the back side.
    • James  •  Nashville, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      Did you know that technically they aren't a species of wolf at all? :)
      • MattH 3 mths ago
        I figured as much, given that the nickname for this species is "a red fox on stilts."
      • aoiro 3 mths ago
        is like a giant fox, we call aguara guazu
      • ratdog 3 mths ago
        they look like foxes to me
    • tlcnor  •  3 mths ago
      People who are complaining about no photos, maybe you should read the article a little slower. Go the paragraph 3, last sentence. Click on " See pictures of the pups."
    • Becky  •  Dickson, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      It is on the belly for a boy and between the legs on girl canines. Duh
    • Stevezilla  •  Vallejo, California  •  3 mths ago
      I don't know about the headline, but if you say "rare wolf" fast enough you'll end up saying werewolf.
    • The Dude  •  3 mths ago
      OMG, pictures of wolf pups, and SEX?? Somebody call Rick Santorum!!
    • Rodbober1  •  3 mths ago
      Thank you Yahoo! for those photos that you wrote this article on. AGAIN you fail. Who the hell is the editor for this #$%$ and stupidity??
    • on vapas crier!  •  Murfreesboro, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      Gender is the proper term.
    • mert  •  Kansas City, Kansas  •  3 mths ago
      what photos?
    • Bridget  •  Charlotte, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      yes they are rare...so rare Yahoo forgot to put their picture up!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  3 mths ago
      I dont think anyone should be having sex with rare wolf pups!
    • John Doe  •  Fayetteville, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      Unbelievable!!! Scientists and vets can't definitively tell the sex of a wolf puppy?
    • Scott C  •  3 mths ago
      A picture might be nice so we can see the cute little furry pups...
    • jon  •  Raleigh, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      "The verdict? It's a boy, and a boy, and a girl, and a girl! At least, veterinarians are relatively convinced that the litter of four contains two of each sex; they'll have to confirm later, when the pups are older and their sex more obvious."

      lmao, "more obvious"
      I need their job, their( sex) gender is obvious as soon as they're born
      Just pick the pup up at their (first checkup,) and SURPRISE, look,,
    • XC8829  •  3 mths ago
      Idiots, the link is in the article. How about you read before commenting?
    • Enid  •  Auburn, Nebraska  •  3 mths ago
      The photos ARE there, for those who have claimed they are not.You have to click on the words: [See pictures of the pups] in bright blue. If you would read the article instead of skimming and making assumptions you, too, would have known that.
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