Passage V

Why Wolves Howl

Why do wolves howl ? Thanks to the work of naturalists and animal behaviorists, we know wolves are highly social animals that live in structured packs and that communicate using a variety of sounds, including whining, growling, and barking. Howling, the sound most often associated with wolves, by themselves perform several key social functions within wolf packs.

One of these, self-defense, which includes protecting territory. Packs claim sections of land as private hunting and living spaces and will howl to warn away potential intruders, those are usually other wolves. This “Keep Out” warning serves as a peacekeeping technique because it helps prevent competing packs from warring over prey, fighting for mates, or otherwise interfering with pack life.

Wolves also howl to locate and communicate with one another over long distances. Like their dog descendants, wolves possess intense hearing, which makes it possible for them to pick up the sound of howling from as far away as ten miles. Frequently, common activities, such as hunting for prey, often call upon animals’ sharp instincts; in order to reunite, the separated wolves howl to one another.

Finally, wolves use howling in the pack’s social rituals. Upon waking, pack members howl morning greetings while wagging their tails, they nuzzle each other, and engaging in mock fights. Before leaving on a hunt, the pack gathers for a “group sing” called chorus howling. Usually begun by the alpha or, dominant, pair of wolves, the pack is excited in preparation for the hunt partly by chorus howling. The collective sound of wolves howling in various keys also make the pack seem larger and more powerful to potential enemies than it really is.

Further study of wolves will likely uncover still more reasons for their howling. What’s already clear, is that the stereotypical image of the lone wolf howling at the full moon obscures the importance howling has in the social life of these animals.