Tien wolf at the Shy wolf Sanctury with owner Nancy Smith
ON HOWLING
According to Shaun Ellis, wolves have "many different howls, as you can probably imagine, and every single member of the pack has its own signature howl." Shaun has mastered some of these howls on his own, and has made some of the following observations regarding this complex communication system:
Wolves often prefer to howl from an elevated position in order to project the sound farther.
A wolf away from its pack will often call the pack using a rallying or locating howl.
Defensive howls are low in tone in order to be discouraging. Locating howls are higher in tone in order to be encouraging, and are drawn out in order to urge a response to questioning.
Communication through howling is taught to young wolves at an early age, and they are rewarded with food and praise.
Each wolf has a different sound depending upon its pack status -- the alpha pair's howl is low in tone, a sign of its high status. They howl for short periods, then pause to listen for any response so t hat they can decide whether the pack as a whole should stop or continue.
Second in the pack to the alpha pair are the betas. Their howls are moderately low in tone -- not as low as the alphas but lower than the remaining pack members. They howl approximately three to four times longer than the alphas, adding strength and continuity to the pack calls.
Mid-ranking wolves create the illusion that there are more wolves in the pack than there actually are. They use a variety sounds -- yips and yaps as well as howls -- to make it hard for neighboring packs to identify exactly how many wolves are in the pack.
The omega wolf is responsible for defusing tension within the pack. The omega's howl is the most tuneful in the pack, reaching both high and low notes. By adding vocal harmony, it can help calm the pack when the pack is on the defensive.
Tail Postures
This high tail position indicated the wolf is the dominant wolf, most likely an alpha male or female (the ones that lead the pack).
This horizontal stiffly held tail position indicated the wolf is going to attack or is hunting.
The wagging of a wolf's tail in this manner indicates that the wolf is relaxed.
This somewhat drooped tail position indicated the wolf is relatively relaxed.
This drooped tail position indicated the wolf is even more relaxed.
This half tail tuck along with a partially arched back indicated that a wolf is humbling itself to a more dominant wolf and is a form of submission.
This fully tucked tail along with a highly arched back shows that a wolf is extremely in fear of something (a more dominant wolf) and is another form of submission.
Body Postures
This body position is of a wolf when it is attacking.
This body position is of a wolf when it is defensive or is feeling threatened.
This body position is of wolves fighting with the top wolf pinning the other wolf to the ground.
The body position of the wolf laying down is an example of a wolf being passive submissive.
This type body position when running indicates that the wolf is playing.
This type body position when running indicates that the wolf is running in fear.
The wolf on the left side of this illustration demonstrates the way a wolf looks when it is in active submission.
This wolf is simply playing.
This shows how a yearling would submit to a fully dominant wolf.
This body posture indicates that the wolf is feeling both fear and aggressiveness.
ON HOWLING
According to Shaun Ellis, wolves have "many different howls, as you can probably imagine, and every single member of the pack has its own signature howl." Shaun has mastered some of these howls on his own, and has made some of the following observations regarding this complex communication system:
Wolves often prefer to howl from an elevated position in order to project the sound farther.
A wolf away from its pack will often call the pack using a rallying or locating howl.
Defensive howls are low in tone in order to be discouraging. Locating howls are higher in tone in order to be encouraging, and are drawn out in order to urge a response to questioning.
Communication through howling is taught to young wolves at an early age, and they are rewarded with food and praise.
Each wolf has a different sound depending upon its pack status -- the alpha pair's howl is low in tone, a sign of its high status. They howl for short periods, then pause to listen for any response so t hat they can decide whether the pack as a whole should stop or continue.
Second in the pack to the alpha pair are the betas. Their howls are moderately low in tone -- not as low as the alphas but lower than the remaining pack members. They howl approximately three to four times longer than the alphas, adding strength and continuity to the pack calls.
Mid-ranking wolves create the illusion that there are more wolves in the pack than there actually are. They use a variety sounds -- yips and yaps as well as howls -- to make it hard for neighboring packs to identify exactly how many wolves are in the pack.
The omega wolf is responsible for defusing tension within the pack. The omega's howl is the most tuneful in the pack, reaching both high and low notes. By adding vocal harmony, it can help calm the pack when the pack is on the defensive.
Tail Postures
This high tail position indicated the wolf is the dominant wolf, most likely an alpha male or female (the ones that lead the pack).
This horizontal stiffly held tail position indicated the wolf is going to attack or is hunting.
The wagging of a wolf's tail in this manner indicates that the wolf is relaxed.
This somewhat drooped tail position indicated the wolf is relatively relaxed.
This drooped tail position indicated the wolf is even more relaxed.
This half tail tuck along with a partially arched back indicated that a wolf is humbling itself to a more dominant wolf and is a form of submission.
This fully tucked tail along with a highly arched back shows that a wolf is extremely in fear of something (a more dominant wolf) and is another form of submission.
Body Postures
This body position is of a wolf when it is attacking.
This body position is of a wolf when it is defensive or is feeling threatened.
This body position is of wolves fighting with the top wolf pinning the other wolf to the ground.
The body position of the wolf laying down is an example of a wolf being passive submissive.
This type body position when running indicates that the wolf is playing.
This type body position when running indicates that the wolf is running in fear.
The wolf on the left side of this illustration demonstrates the way a wolf looks when it is in active submission.
This wolf is simply playing.
This shows how a yearling would submit to a fully dominant wolf.
This body posture indicates that the wolf is feeling both fear and aggressiveness.
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