Why Do Wolves Howl at The Moon?
Published by A bite-size answer to the question: Why do wolves howl at the Moon?
Gray wolf (Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region)
Well, the short answer to the question “why do wolves howl at the Moon” is, they don’t!
Wolves actually howl at each other. They use it as a signalling tool to locate and re-join with their pack when they become separated, as a rallying cry when hunting and also to warn off rivals.
Amazingly, wolves can ‘layer’ their howls with up to twelve harmonic overtones in order to trick others that there are more wolves in their pack than there actually are. By doing this, smaller packs can deter larger groups from invading their territory by basically bluffing about their numbers. Howls have a low frequency (typically 150-750Hz) as lower frequencies can travel further.
In addition to howling, wolves – like dogs – will bark as an alarm call, growl when trying to intimidate and whine during play.
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Sources: How It Works magazine, National Geographic
Liked it
On February 5, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Interesting thing to know about.
On February 6, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Enjoyed this little tidbit. Little pups also howl. I find it so adorable when they do.
On February 6, 2012 at 7:58 pm
That answer sound logical but why do dogs howl when the moon is full?
On February 7, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Like wolves, I don’t think dogs really howl at the moon Tulan. Or at least they don’t only howl because there might be a full moon out. Great post either way!
On February 10, 2012 at 9:31 am
Enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for the share.
On February 12, 2012 at 11:38 am
Cool piece of information.
On February 14, 2012 at 7:40 am
Nice share. The first impression we get is that wolves howl at the moon. Your article cleared this misconception. The gray wolf (Nice snap) looks majestic.