Communication
Communication is the ultimate function to increase your own function. Below is a list of spesific details on communication and what communication is used for.
- 1. Recognition - species - group - individual
- 2. Reproduction
- 3. Social Status - dominate hierarchy, mood
- 4. Alarm - can be specific depending on danger. Alert others of potiental danger
- 5. Foraging - seeking out food source, let others know of their location
- 6. Group Spacing - territories
- 7. Soliciting parental Care / Play
- 8. Scenting - form of communication/marking one's boundaries
Happy Expressions:
- Chuffing
- Yipping
- Barking (happily)
- "Murring"
Sad Expressions:
- Low Growling
- Ears/Body lowered
- Whimpering
- Whinning
Submissive Expressions:
- Extensive whimpering
- Whinning
- Beg whinning
Angry/Annoyed Expressions:
- Growling
- Bareing Fangs
- Snapping
- Ears pinned back
Body postures are crucial in telling how a wolf feels at any given time. Through body language the wolf asserts its emotions to the rest of the pack. For example “Play” is always a common event within a pack’s daily activity. It builds skill for the future in hunting and communication for hierarchy. A wolf in play will prance around, tugging on tails and barking in a playful gesture, sometimes bow to their chosen opponent. In the opposite specter, a wolf angered may display emotions by pulling their ears to the side, lips curl up exposing their teeth, hackles raised growling. Without these vital communication skills, there would be no feel to the pack’s social being.
Wolves use scent as a vital way of communication. Alphas will scent their territory making an invisible ‘line’ marking boundaries of their home and territory. Males will usually urinate on the base of logs, trees, rocks and other various objects a traveling wolf might want to investigate. A female will do the same, but she also has scent glands at the bottom of each pad under her paw. She will scent mark objects by ‘pawing’ on things. Female wolves also rub there scent on their pups, embedding a blue print of her smell to her pups, so they can identify her later when it comes time to be introduced into the rest of the pack.
Howling The most impressive display of wolf is howling. Its exactly why wolves howl, but its evident and observed that wolves howl to express a certain emotion or a calling to other members of the pack, or neighboring packs. The Alpha will sometimes howl if he/she desires the pack to gather in a social gathering. A howl is a beautiful harmonic vocalization led by one wolf. Once the one wolf will howl, the others in the pack, or near by wolves will join in its chorus. Sometimes, the howl will start in a low bark that slips into a high pitch howl, then the tone deepens as the certain emotion is expressed. Howling is also to be believed as a strong form of communication between their family members and as well to alert other neighboring packs of the territory boundaries.
Scenting Wolves rely on scent as a large portion of communication throughout a wolf's life. They can locate prey and other wolves throughout their territory by the vastness of one's scent. The Alpha wolf can locate how long a wolf's been present within their territory and indicate if any intruder has entered the pack's domain and boundaries. Wolves have certain scent glands which depict and form the wolf's "blue print". Each wolf has a significant smell in which enables them to be "ID'ed" from wolf to the next. After birth, a mother wolf will scent her pups so she can identify them throughout their lives. As well tell between her pups from others. Wolves mark their scent by pawing the ground where scent glands are located just in between their frontal pads. Commonly through, and to what all canine animals do, is to urinate on objects or landmarks to 'mark' things. The Alpha wolf will mark his/her territory by urinating on objects such as tree stumps, base of trees, logs, rocks etc. This creates an 'invisible' line outlining his/her territory.
