It’s an exciting time for wolves and the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) — it’s the season of romance! Hormones are racing and earlier this afternoon we witnessed Mexican gray wolves F1226 and M1133 engage in a copulatory tie via webcam!

The Species Survival Plan (SSP) management group for the Mexican gray wolf determines which wolves should be bred each year by using software developed for the population management of endangered species. This is necessary because all Mexican wolves descended from just 7 founders rescued from extinction. Genetic diversity is the primary consideration in the selection of Mexican wolf breeding pairs and M1133 and F1226 are a great match on paper with an extremely low inbreeding coefficient.

The pair engaged in a copulatory tie (photo via webcam)

Sometimes saving a species isn’t very romantic, but it turns out that F1226 and M1133 are also a perfect pair “off paper!” They’re a vibrant, loving, and playful pair that make saving a species look like a whole lot of fun!

We won’t know the outcome of this union until  May. So until then keep your paws crossed that F1226 and M1133 will be making priceless (and adorable) contributions to the recovery of their rare species later this spring!

Join the couple via webcam.