San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants (original) (raw)

Wolves live in family groups called packs. A pack usually consists of an adult male and female and their pups. The average size of a pack is 8 or 9, but packs as large as 20 to 30 wolves have been found.

Wolf packs follow the cues of the head male and female, called the alphas. In any pack there is only one alpha male and female, and often these two have pups. The alphas are usually the ones with the strongest leadership skills and organize the pack to hunt as a group. Alpha pairs allow the pack to work as if with one mind. Clearly defined territorial boundaries reduce inter-pack fighting, and wolves constantly patrol and scent-mark their home turf. Howling also establishes territorial boundaries.

If you’ve watched domestic dogs play, you already know something about how wolves communicate. Within a wolf pack, communicating successfully with each other is key to every member’s survival and well-being. Like dogs, they may bare their teeth and growl as a sign of aggression or a threat to stay away, hold their tail high to signal heightened attention or anxiety of some kind, or lower their body and tail or even roll over onto their back as a sign of submission to another pack member. Ears flattened back against the face may indicate caution or anxiety of another sort.

Wolves, like many other animals, also communicate by scent marking: leaving their urine and feces on trees or rocks where other wolves will find it. There are many scientific studies going on to determine what these "messages" mean. Vocal communication includes a variety of whines, growls, barks, whimpers, squeaks, and howls.

One of the best-known ways wolves communicate is by howling, a soulful song that sounds both melodious and mournful, mysterious and sad. Yet contrary to those impressions, a wolf’s howl is a celebration: wolves love to make music! When a pack performs, one wolf begins, then after one or two howls, others join in. They warm up with a few long, low howls and work up to a series of shorter, higher howls in a chorus with others. A group howl may last more than a minute. It’s an excited and emotional ritual that is vital to maintaining pack unity and community spirit.

Wolves howl for many reasons, in solo or chorus. They howl upon waking up from a long sleep and to rally the pack prior to a hunt. The howl inspires enthusiasm, helps synchronize pack activities, and can be a song of the feast, announcing and defending a kill. Wolves also howl after intense play and social interactions or to communicate positions or keep in touch when separated. Howling creates an acoustic barrier to warn other wolves to stay away, outlining boundaries and signaling location, pack size, and strength.

Sometimes, wolves howl just for the fun of it! No two wolves hit the same note: they immediately change pitch until discord is reached to make the pack sound larger and more formidable.

Even though usually only the alpha male and female have pups, all of the wolf pack’s members take care of the youngsters. Pups are born in a den, which can be a depression in the ground or grass, a cave, burrow, hollow log, or fallen tree. Litter size can number from 1 to 11. The pups may be moved from one den to another as needed as they grow. They nurse for their first four weeks from their mother and one or more of the subordinate females in the pack.

All pack members assist with baby-sitting duties, too. Pups learn the complicated language of “wolf speak” that communicates through visual, tactile, and auditory ways at a very young age and are taught by all pack members. From 5 to 10 weeks of age, they add food regurgitated from other pack members to their diet. By 10 weeks old, the pups are ready for solid food and no longer depend on milk, but instead from food brought to them by the pack. At six months old, the youngsters join the adults in hunts, and by the time they are two years old, they are considered mature.