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-Wolf communication is important to the survival of the pack.

-When a wolf is threatened, it bears its teeth and has ear pointed up and forward.

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More Information about Wolf Communication

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More Information about Wolf Communication

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Have you seen dogs jump up to greet their owners, bark at strangers or roll over when another dog approaches? Then you already know something about how wolves communicate. Dogs inherited most of their language from their ancestors, the wolves.

Wolves use three different languages:

1. Sound - Howls, Barks, Whimpers and Growls

2. Special Scents - Scats, Urine and Pheromones

3. Body Language - Body Positions and Movements and Facial Expressions

Many of us think of communication only as talking or writing to each other. Those are two ways humans share information every day. How do wolves "converse?" Even though they cannot talk or write, wolves communicate effectively in several ways.

Wolves use body language to convey the rules of the pack. A wolf pack is very organized. Rule number one says that the pack is made up of leaders and followers. The pack leaders are the male parent and the female parent - usually the father and mother of the other pack members. They are known as the dominant pair and are usually the only members of the pack to produce pups, thus are also referred to as the breeding pair.

Any wolf can become the dominant male or female. However, to do so, it must find an unoccupied territory and a member of the opposite sex with which to mate. Or, more rarely, it moves into a pack with a missing dominant male or female and takes its place, or perhaps kills another dominant wolf of the same gender and usurps its mate.

The dominant male and female are in charge of the pack. To communicate dominance, they carry their tails high and stand tall. Less dominant wolves exhibit submissive behavior by holding their tails down and often lower their bodies while pawing at the higher ranking wolves.

There are two levels of submissive behavior: active and passive. Active submission is a contact activity in which signs of inferiority are evident such as crouching, muzzle licking and tail tucking. The behaviors typical of active submission are first used by pups to elicit regurgitation in adults. These behaviors are retained into adulthood by subordinate wolves, where they function as a gesture of intimacy and the acceptance of the differentiation of the roles of the wolves that are involved.

Passive submission is shown when a subordinate wolf lays on its side or back, thus exposing the vulnerable ventral side of its chest and abdomen to the more dominant wolf. The subordinate wolf may also abduct its rear leg to allow for anogenital inspection by the dominant wolf. If two wolves have a disagreement, they may show their teeth and growl at each other. Both wolves try to look as fierce as they can. Usually the less dominant wolf, the subordinate one, gives up before a fight begins. To show that it accepts the other wolf's authority, it rolls over on its back. Reactions to this behavior may range from tolerance (the dominant wolf standing over the submissive wolf) to mortal attack, particularly in the case of a trespassing alien wolf. Following the dominance rules usually keeps the wolves in a pack from fighting among themselves and hurting each other.

Wolves convey much with their bodies. If they are angry, they may stick their ears straight up and bare their teeth. A wolf who is suspicious pulls its ears back and

squints. Fear is often shown by flattening the ears against the head. A wolf who wants to play dances and bows playfully.

Wolves have a very good sense of smell-about 100 times greater than humans. They use this sense for communication in a variety of ways. Wolves mark their territories with urine and scats, a behavior called scent-marking. When wolves from outside of the pack smell these scents, they know that an area is already occupied. It is likely that pack members can recognize the identity of a packmate by its urine, which is useful when entering a new territory or when packmembers become separated. Dominant animals may scent mark through urination every two minutes. When they do so they raise a leg, this dominant posture utilizes multiple forms of communication and is called a "Raised Leg Urination" or RLU.

Wolves will also use urine to scent mark food caches that have been exhausted. By marking an empty cache, the animal will not waste time digging for food that isn't there.

Wolves use their sense of smell to communicate through chemical messages. These chemical messages between members of the same species are known as pheromones.

Sources of pheromones in wolves include glands on the toes, tail, eyes, anus, genitalia and skin. For example, a male is able to identify a female in estrus by pheromones present in her urine and copulation will only be attempted during this time.

Of course, their sense of smell also tells them when food or enemies are near.

When you hear a wolf howl in the night-the are not howling at the moon-they are communicating. They call any time of the day, but they are most easily heard in the evening when the wind dies down and wolves are most active. Wolves' vocalizations can be separated into four categories: barking, whimpering, growling, and howling. Sounds created by the wolf may actually be a combination of sounds such as a bark-howl or growl-bark.

Barking is used as a warning. A mother may bark to her pups because she senses danger, or a bark or bark-howl may be used to show aggression in defense of the pack or territory.

Whimpering may be used by a mother to indicate her willingness to nurse her young. It is also used to indicate "I give up." if they are in a submissive position and another wolf is dominating them.

Growling is used as a warning. A wolf may growl at intruding wolves or predators, or to indicate dominance.

Howling is the one form of communication used by wolves that is intended for long distance. A defensive howl is used to keep the pack together and strangers away, to stand their ground and protect young pups who cannot yet travel from danger, and protect kill sites. A social howl is used to locate one another, rally together and possibly just for fun.

Click here to howl with wild wolves in northeastern Minnesota!

Excerpted with permission from Discovering Wolves by Nancy Field and Corliss Karasov and The Wolf by L. David Mech: illustrated by Cary Hunkel, published by Dog-Eared Publications, PO Box 863, Middleton, WI 53562, USA

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Have you seen dogs jump up to greet their owners, bark at strangers or roll over when another dog approaches? Then you already know something about how wolves communicate. Dogs inherited most of their language from their ancestors, the wolves.

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-A wolf who feels threatened will bear its teeth and its ears will be straight up and forward.

-Communication in the pack is very important to the pack's survival.

-Wolves communicate by howling.

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Birth-1 year old

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International Wolf Center | Teaching the World about Wolves.

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Wolf pup development | International Wolf Center

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At what rate do wolf pups develop? This page details that timeline.

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Video Clip-National Geographic

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Scientific Name:

Canis lupus

Average Life Span In The Wild:

6 to 8 years

Size:

Head and body: 36 to 63 inches; tail: 13 to 20 inches

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

What are gray wolves?

Wolves are legendary because of their spine-tingling howl, which they use to communicate. A lone wolf howls to attract the attention of his pack, while communal howls may send territorial messages from one pack to another. Some howls are confrontational. Much like barking domestic dogs, wolves may simply begin howling because a nearby wolf has already begun.

Population and conservation

Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. Adaptable gray wolves are by far the most common and were once found all over the Northern Hemisphere. But wolves and humans have a long adversarial history. Though they almost never attack humans, wolves are considered one of the animal world's most fearsome natural villains. They do attack domestic animals, and countless wolves have been shot, trapped, and poisoned because of this tendency.

In the lower 48 states, gray wolves were hunted to near extinction, though some populations survived and others have since been reintroduced. Few gray wolves survive in Europe, though many live in Alaska, Canada, and Asia.

Wolf pack behavior

Wolves live and hunt in packs of around six to ten animals. They are known to roam large distances, perhaps 12 miles in a single day. These social animals cooperate on their preferred prey-large animals such as deer, elk, and moose. When they are successful, wolves do not eat in moderation. A single animal can consume 20 pounds of meat at a sitting. Wolves also eat smaller mammals, birds, fish, lizards, snakes, and fruit.

Wolfpacks are established according to a strict hierarchy, with a dominant male at the top and his mate not far behind. Usually this male and female are the only animals of the pack to breed. All of a pack's adults help to care for young pups by bringing them food and watching them while others hunt.

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Scientific Name: Canis lupus Average Life Span In The Wild: 6 to 8 years Size: Head and body: 36 to 63 inches; tail: 13 to 20 inches Size relative to a 6-ft man: Wolves are legendary because of their spine-tingling howl, which they use to communicate.

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Activists for Wolves

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Two southern resident orcas, J17 (known as Princess Angeline) and K25 have not been spotted in weeks, and experts fear the worst. Both orcas appeared to be near starvation at last sight. Help save southern resident orcas and other vulnerable wildlife with your emergency gift today!

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Defenders of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America. Together, we can ensure a future for the wildlife and wild places we all love.

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Upcoming Webinars

Aidan and Denali's Birthday Webinar
Saturday, April 27 th, 2019 - 6 p.m. CDT
Webinar rate: $15 Non-members, $12 Members

Aidan and Denali were born on April 27, 2008 and have experienced much in their lives. The winter of 2018 saw some testing behavior that led to Aidan's retirement while Denali stayed in the Exhibit Pack. Join us for this one-hour webinar as we celebrate their 11th birthday and broadcast from the Exhibit Pack, Retired Pack or both.

Upcoming Adventure Programs

Date: June 7 - 9
Time: Friday 5:00 p.m. - Sunday 12:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: May 15, 2019

Program Rates: Members $285*
Deposit: $100

Spend a weekend learning about the plans for new pups for the Exhibit Pack and discover the skills and dedication necessary to be a pup care program participant in 2020. Tentative program activities include a trip to a local dog yard to gain animal handling experience with sled dog pups, wolf care staff narrating video highlights of the center's history of wolf management, observations of the Center's Exhibit Pack to understand behavioral modification and discussion of the detailed plans for obtaining, socializing and integrating pups into the Exhibit Pack. This program is a prerequisite program for individuals interested in applying for the limited number of Pup Care Positions available during the summer of 2020, but does not necessarily guarantee a pup care position in 2020.

* This program is reserved for individuals who have NOT participated in a pup care or behavioral observation program in the past. Participants must be International Wolf Center members to participate in the Planning for Pups program.

Date: June 10-11
Time: Monday & Tuesday, 8:15 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CDT
Registration Deadline: May 27, 2019

Program Rates: Non-member $60, Member $54

Time to unplug your kids from the virtual world and reconnect them with the real one by joining us at our two day Jr. Wolf Biologist Mini-Camp. Participants will learn about wolves and other animals through hands-on outdoor activities during this summer time program!

Wolf Family Rendezvous - 6 Seats Remaining

Date: June 15-16
Time: Sat. 8:30 a.m. - Sun. 10 a.m. CDT
Registration Deadline: June 1, 2019

Program rates: $75 Adult Non-member (13+ years old), $67.50 Adult Member (13+ years old)
$50 Child Non-member (6-12 years old), $45 Child Member (6-12 years old)

A full weekend of family fun showcases the best of what the International Wolf Center and Ely has to offer. The Wolf Family Rendezvous program includes three days of free admissions to the International Wolf Center, private lessons about wolves, private wolf viewing time before and after the Center closes to the public, a hike in the Superior Natural Forest, a pizza dinner and admission to the popular Saturday night 'What's for Dinner?' program at the Center.

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Aidan and Denali's Birthday Webinar Saturday, April 27 th, 2019 - 6 p.m. CDT Webinar rate: $15 Non-members, $12 Members Aidan and Denali were born on April 27, 2008 and have experienced much in their lives. The winter of 2018 saw some testing behavior that led to Aidan's retirement while Denali stayed in the Exhibit Pack.