These family groups typically consist of an adult pair, called the alpha, and their offspring. A young wolf may venture out on its own, exploring the fringes of its territory before deciding whether to leave its parental pack behind. In addition to howling, barking and growling, gray wolves use scent marking to maintain pack territories.
Body language is also an important communication tool. Dominant wolves may display raised hackles the hair on the back of the neck , bared teeth, wrinkled foreheads and erect, forward-pointing ears. Conversely, a less dominant animal may lower its tail and body position, expose its throat, peel back its lips and fold back its ears. Gray wolves once had one of the largest natural ranges of any terrestrial mammal in the Northern Hemisphere, but expansion into the western U.
Cattle ranches believed wolves were a threat to their livelihood, and a history of hunting and poisoning devastated wolf populations, bringing them to the brink of extinction. In , the Endangered Species Act helped reestablish wolf populations.
A combination of legal protection, human migration to more urban areas and land-use changes has helped stabilize them since, and in , they were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. Gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in , resulting in a trophic cascade through the entire ecosystem. After the wolves were driven extinct in the region nearly years ago, scientists began to fully understand their role in the food web as a keystone species.
Find an educator guide for exploring a keystone species with students in Grades K Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Fast Facts Vocabulary.
Wolves are not wild dogs! Although wolves and dogs share a common ancestor and many characteristics, they are classified as different animals: Canis lupus the gray wolf and Canis lupus familiaris the domestic dog.
Wolves and dogs each have many subspecies or breeds. What are you wondering? Wonder Words horizon myth prey social behavior territory nocturnal vocalizations millennia Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
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Share Wonderopolis. Add widget. You Got It! Same thing goes for Diana, Roman goddess of the moon and the hunt. Norse mythology tells of a pair of wolves that chase the moon and sun to summon night and day [source: Rosenberg]. The Native American Seneca tribes believe that a wolf sung the moon into existence [source: Henes]. Since wolves inhabit every continent except South America and Antarctica, their prevalence in human culture isn't surprising.
As nocturnal animals, they have a natural association with darkness and the moon. And just like humans whisper, shout, scream, murmur or chat to communicate, howling isn't the only way wolves vocally express themselves. Instead, they deliver short-range messages with three other types of vocalizations: barking , growling and whimpering. The bark comes as no surprise since we're used to wolves' tamer descendents doing so. But as any dog owner can tell you, barks can have various meanings.
For wolves, barks are either offensive or defensive. They may warn nearby pack members of an incoming predator. Or, they may call another wolf into a challenge. Lower-pitched growls signal dominance or an impending confrontation [source: Feldhamer et al]. For calmer occasions, a high-pitched whimper indicates submission.
Wolves may whimper as a friendly greeting to each other, or parents and pups may speak gently to each other [source: Earth Expeditions ]. But when they raise their muzzles toward the sky and release those wavering howls, is the message meant for the moon? Find out the answer on the next page.
Forget the malarkey about wolves howling at the moon. These animals care as much about the Earth's nightlight as metalheads think about "High School Musical. Canine experts have found no connection between the phases of the moon and wolf howling [source: Busch].
Wolves pipe up more often during the night because they're nocturnal.
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