How do Wolves Communicate? A Quick Read

Did you ever wonder how Wolves Communicate?

In my previous post, I mentioned why wolves are awesome hunters. A part of the answer is that they are very well built to hunt. But the more important part of the answer is, how well they work together.

Since they are social animals living in packs of 4-30 members, wolves must be advanced communicators. Or else the miscommunication would either spoil the hunt or worse leave the pack in dangerous situations.

Millions of years of evolution has granted wolves the following 3 main forms of communication. Each combined allow information to be communicated effectively:

Sound: Howl, Bark, Growl
Body language: Body movements, Posture, Facial expressions
Scent: Urine, Pheromones
Before we get into the 3 categories lets look at how the pack is structured. As you might have heard before, wolf packs have dominant leaders and submissive followers. The leaders are often the largest, strongest and the most intelligent in the pack. They communicate their dominance by standing tall and keeping their tails high.

From their puppy years up to adulthood submissive followers are trained to communicate that they are ready to obey. Their posture is low and they often show their vulnerable body parts to convey that they mean no harm.

Image result for dominant wolf pose

(Dominant wolf (left) and a submissive wolf (right))

With a clear leader it is easier for the pack to stay on the same page. This is important because clear instructions and teamwork is crucial for the hunt to be successful.

Another effective way of communication is sounds. Wolves can produce a variety of sounds in different situations to convey different meanings. For instance they might howl to gather the pack or let others know where they are. It can also be a warning call, since it can be heard from a large distance it is an effective way of protection.

Mothers usually bark at the puppies to warn them and keep them safe. She also might whimper to show that she is ready to nurse the babies.

Perhaps the most aggressive sound is growling. They growl at strangers or in situations in which they feel threatened. Most of the time they growl to establish dominance.

Finally, wolves use scent strategically for a few reasons. Of course they use urine to mark their territory but they also might mark exhausted food resources so other wolves searching for food won't waste time there. Thus enabling them to use their energy in a more productive endeavor. They use pheromones to communicate that they are ready to mate.

In summary, wolves use 3 main ways of communication: Body Posture, Scent and Sounds. Each mean of communication is crucial in its own way. All used together, enables the pack to operate at the optimum efficiency.

As always Thank you for reading.

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