Gallery: Brand-New Baby Wolves

Baby Maned Wolf

A new maned wolf pup born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

(Image credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

A fuzzy bundle of joy at 8 days old: One of four maned wolf pups born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia poses for the camera.

What Big Teeth

A new maned wolf pup born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

(Image credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

Maned wolves are threatened in the wild because of habitat encroachment in South America.

Maned Wolf Litter

A litter of maned wolf pups born at the Smithsonian.

(Image credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

The litter of maned wolf pups at three weeks of age. The pups were born Jan. 5, 2012.

Pup Pile

A litter of maned wolf pups born at the Smithsonian.

(Image credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

The litter is the first born at the Institute in two years.

Maned Wolf Pup

maned wolf pup at the vet

(Image credit: Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

A maned wolf pup born Jan. 5 gets a checkup and its first vaccinations on Feb. 16.

Visiting the Vet

maned wolf pup at the vet

(Image credit: Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

Hey, that stethoscope is cold! One of the four maned wolf pups visits the veterinarian.

Getting a Check-Up

maned wolf pup at the vet

(Image credit: Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

The four wolves were given their first vaccinations and a clean bill of health.

Maned Wolf Pup

maned wolf pup at the vet

(Image credit: Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

The litter seems to be made up of two males and two females, though veterinarians will have to confirm that when the pups' reproductive systems mature.

What Big Ears You Have!

maned wolf pup at the vet

(Image credit: Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

Each pup weighs between four and five pounds (1.8 and 2.6 kg).

Adult Maned Wolf

An adult maned wolf.

(Image credit: fotografie4you, Shutterstock)

An adult maned wolf shows off the furry scruff that gives the species its name.

Maned Wolf in Profile

Maned wolf in profile.

(Image credit: Stefan Pecher, Shutterstock)

Maned wolves are difficult to breed in captivity, so researchers are testing out special diets to better approximate what wild wolves eat. These canines are omnivorous, and their diet in the wild seems evenly split between plants and meat.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.