Wolves bark or not. The wolf is the same dog. Why doesn't he bark? Wolves don't bark

26.10.2015

Being formidable predators, wolves have a bad reputation. Having learned a little more about these animals, you become imbued with respect for them. The life of a pack is subject to certain laws, which allows smart and strong predators to coexist peacefully and obey the will of a wise leader. What is the secret of wolf strength and invulnerability? The 10 most important ones will help you figure this out. interesting facts about them.

10. Who is the boss in the pack?

Relations in a wolf pack are subject to a strict hierarchy. At the head of the pack is the so-called alpha pair. Where the male is the leader who makes the most important decisions and is responsible for each relative. He does not fight for his dominance by force; there are also more powerful and hardy males in the flock. The main advantages of a leader are a sharp mind and a stable psyche. The leader's companion also enjoys considerable authority, but her care is mainly given to the females of the pack and puppies. The leader has an unspoken deputy who will replace the leader in the event of his death. This beta male is located slightly lower on the hierarchical ladder, and is completely subordinate to the will of the leader. It happens that the female can take on the role of leader in certain critical situations. There are also individuals in the flock who bear the rank of warriors. These can be not only males, but also females who are not burdened with motherhood. It is they who bear the responsibility for obtaining food and protecting the weak and young. At the bottom of the hierarchy are old and sick animals. Puppies are outside the hierarchy; all members of the pack, without exception, pay maximum attention to them. This complex social group unquestioningly listens to the instructions of the leader and gets along well with each other. Even looking from the outside, you can determine the place of each animal in the pack. The leader holds his tail high, the rest of the wolves have their tails down, and the weakest individuals have their tails tucked under their bodies.

9. Wolf tenderness

Newlyweds are often wished swan fidelity, and never wolf fidelity. But in vain. These animals can serve as an example of amazing relationships. Having met once, they never part until their death. In the spring, during the rutting season, the wolf and she-wolf separate from the pack in order to fully devote themselves to each other. With other members of the pack, the she-wolf, from this time until the appearance of the cubs, behaves unfriendly and sometimes aggressively. But let's return to the lovers. When courting, animals show their emotions not only through facial expressions. They rub their muzzles against each other, lick their partner and bite gently. All this time the couple does not part, and with the appearance of the wolf cubs, the male shows himself as a very caring father.

8. Wolf Kindergarten

The she-wolf bears her offspring for 2 months. During this time, she must select and prepare several lairs - places where she could stay with the kids. Most often these are caves, badger holes or depressions near the rhizomes of old trees. At one time, the female is able to reproduce from 3 to 5 puppies. The young are born absolutely helpless and feed exclusively on mother's milk. Blind and deaf wolf cubs weigh only 300 grams. But after 3 weeks their eyes open, which are piercing in all wolf cubs. blue color. And only by 8 months the eyes of wolf cubs acquire a golden hue. By one and a half months, babies are already turning into meat eaters. All members of the pack strive to feed the babies, regardless of the degree of relationship; it is they who deliver food to the she-wolf and her offspring. And in the first 4 months of life, the weight of puppies increases 30 times. However, not by bread alone. The flock has professional nannies who, regardless of gender, get along well with the kids and play with them. The leader himself pays a lot of attention to the young animals.

7. Best qualities

Wolves, like well-trained special forces fighters, have the most important qualities for survival. So, they swim perfectly, for this nature has provided small membranes between the fingers. Thanks to this feature, an adult wolf can swim more than 10 km. Also, in moments of greatest danger, wolves can accelerate up to 56 km/h. And this can be explained by regular training, because throughout the day they move at a speed of about 8 km/h. In addition, the wolf has an extraordinary sense of smell. He is able to distinguish up to 200 million odors, which is 40 times more than a person. And the predator can easily smell prey at a distance of up to 1.5 km. And if the prey comes into view, the wolf pack will not miss its target. It’s not for nothing that the wolf’s grip has become a household word. After all, a pressure of 300 kg/cm² is created in the cleft palate. By comparison, dog fangs close with half the force.

6. Even a wolf howls

To communicate, adult wolves most often use howling, which allows them to gather all members of the pack together or scare away the enemy. Howl is perfect for communication; with its help, wolves are able to convey various information and even emotions. Contrary to popular belief, a wolf howl lasts no more than 5 seconds, and already the echo carries the sound, making it drawn out. It is extremely rare for wolves to bark, snort and whine. In moments of extreme danger, animals can growl and clang their teeth. But these smart animals communicate not only through sounds. They are one of the few capable of conveying their emotions with the help of facial expressions, and wolves also know how to demonstrate their attitude towards another animal. By licking each other and lightly biting their faces, they show tender feelings. A wolf crawling towards the leader demonstrates its respect and submission to him. Lying on his back and exposing his unprotected belly, the wolf expresses complete trust.

5. Happy hunting!

Animals as brave as wolves are difficult to scare with anything, unless they are flags. Knowing about this weakness of predators, hunters use flags to drive the animal. And the wolf rushing at top speed stops in front of the scraps of fabric fluttering in the wind. He rushes along the rope on which the flags are hung, but for some reason he does not dare to jump over. What's the matter? There is an opinion that animals have a similar reaction exclusively to red fabric, which they mistake for flashes of fire. In fact, the color does not matter, since wolves do not distinguish between them. However, they are very good at smelling. And flags, having been in the hands of a hunter, smell like a person. For most wolves, this smell is unfamiliar, and therefore potentially dangerous. And the fabric flutters in the wind, scaring away the inexperienced beast. It is curious that flags are not an insurmountable obstacle for all wolves. Those animals that live far from humans and feed exclusively on game, without attacking livestock, do not experience any emotions at the sight of flags.

3. Does the wolf perform in the circus?

Wolves are practically impossible to train. They are easy to train, and when in an enclosure, they can accurately carry out even complex commands. However, their submission is completely deceptive, and at the first opportunity the wolf will try to break free. In this case, the animal can behave very aggressively, posing a threat to the life and health of others. Perhaps, thanks to this fact, the idea took root in the minds of ordinary people that wolves never perform in the circus. Like, the whole secret is in their love of freedom. This idea is only partly true. So, in 1965, Perm circus artist Ekaterina Korenkova entered the arena with wolves. Her performances were enjoyed huge success, but only Catherine herself knew how much work it cost her. The fact is that wolves are cowardly by nature. Finding itself in an unusual environment (unfamiliar arena, many people, bright light, sharp sounds), the wolf tucks its tail and flees. But once a wolf finds himself in a pack, he becomes noticeably bolder and, in response to stress, can become aggressive. In addition, wolves are too touchy and vindictive. And as soon as the trainer relaxes a little, the predator immediately decides to take revenge, remembering old grievances. All this makes the performance of wolves in the circus unreasonably dangerous and unpredictable.

2. Smarter than dogs

Austrian scientists from Messerli University conducted an experiment that clearly demonstrates the intellectual superiority of wolves over dogs. 14 six-month-old wolves and 15 mongrel dogs of the same age were recruited to participate in the study. Each tailed participant in the experiment was shown a video in which a trained dog, using its paws and its own teeth, opened a box with a treat hidden inside. After viewing, each puppy ended up at this very box, which he had to open. Surprisingly, all the cubs, remembering the video hint, completed the task. But out of the group of dogs, only 4 puppies turned out to be resourceful. In a more in-depth study, when the wolves were asked to open the box on their own, only a few of them completed the task. This fact proves that wolves are more attentive and capable of learning than dogs. With pure physiological point This is explained by the fact that a wolf's brain is 30% larger than a dog's. Their memory is more developed, which allows predators to successfully track prey along long-familiar routes.

1. To help environmentalists

IN national park Yellowstone (USA) There were no wolves for 70 years. During this time, the deer population increased to enormous proportions. While getting food for themselves, herbivores destroyed young trees, thereby dealing a serious blow to the entire ecosystem of the park. Scientists sounded the alarm, but after making a lot of efforts, they were unable to seriously change the situation. It is unknown what further deer expansion would have led to, but in 1995, 14 wolves were released into the park. They slightly reduced the number of deer, and forced the remaining ones to choose places for grazing more carefully. As a result, in just 6 years the number of trees in the national park increased fivefold. And this contributed to an increase in the population of beavers, which now had the opportunity to build dams. Ducks and muskrats settled in the creeks. Wolves also reduced the number of jackals, which allowed hares and mice to breed. The latter attracted hawks to the park. But the most amazing thing is that thanks to wolves, the river beds have changed. Now trees and grasses began to grow along the banks, which strengthened them with their roots. coastal zone. So many positive changes in the park happened thanks to the appearance of a pack of wolves. Thus, the natural balance was restored in nature.

It is stupid to accuse wolves of bloodthirstiness. After all, no one would think of blaming a fish for living in water. So the wolf does not want harm to anyone, he is just born a predator.

Think about some of the interesting daily behaviors your dog may have: They may howl, dig holes, and sniff out odors and tree bark. All these actions constitute behavior transmitted at the genetic level from their ancestors - wolves. We think you will not argue with us on this matter. In fact, some of these traits, of course, are definitely generic, but it turns out that not all of them can be classified as such.

Wolves don't bark

Since dogs are direct descendants of wolves, it is clear that many of the innate behaviors of our four-legged friends come from their ancestors. However, it is interesting that barking cannot be classified as such. Actually a mature wolf wildlife does not bark like our pets. This behavior is limited to cubs and juveniles.

The reason for the lack of barking is that in the wild, wolves know that if they are in real danger, it is best to behave as quietly as possible, without making their presence known until the threat has passed.

Dog's reaction to direct threat

On the other hand, our canine companions prefer to deal with threats in the opposite direction - barking at them until they go away. But if wolves are the ancestors of dogs, why are their ability to bark reduced to zero?

Some researchers believe that dogs acquired this behavior pattern because of their close relationship with humans. Humans are very musical, and our puppies quickly learn to hear, understand and respond in the same way. But we are not so good at deciphering their nonverbal signals.

To make sure their owners understand that they are trying to communicate, our dogs default to certain verbal cues. However, there are other researchers who believe that a dog's barking is due to years of selective breeding. We prefer dogs that are gentle and friendly and have developed these characteristics in our pets over the years. And, you guessed it, barking is just side effect these relatively recently acquired skills.

Conclusion

If you ask what barking is, we will answer that it is simply one of the many attractive behaviors without which we cannot imagine a four-legged creature.

Whether our dogs bark to communicate with us or simply because they look more like a young wolf than a mature wolf, we perceive this behavior as a natural reaction of our four-legged friend to certain stimuli.

The proverb “Man is a wolf to man” was born a long time ago - this is what they say about cruel relationships between people. In fact, this saying is not at all fair. Wolves in a pack behave very friendly. In it, everyone has their own place and strict order reigns in relationships.The unwritten law covers all aspects of the life of the pack.

Based on a system of dominance (superiority), it establishes priority in access to food, the right to have offspring or the obligation to obey, and grants the privilege to behave freely. Hostility, quarrels, attacks, and fights are rare in the pack. Everything is decided by the unambiguous actions of strong wolves, “explaining” who is in charge and who is subordinate. But more often than not, the entire flock follows the will of recognized leaders. Thus, thanks to the mutual understanding of the members of the pack, harmony is maintained in it. Friendly relations play a huge role in uniting the pack.

But, of course, wolves are not at all good-natured cuties. On the contrary, compared to, say, any dog, they are much more aggressive and assertive.

Their feelings are stronger and more definite: if wolf A loves wolf B, then he loves precisely B, and not all wolves in the world. That's why wolves love their own - members of their pack.

The nature of relationships in a pack is altruistic. That is, each animal subordinates its personal interests to the interests of the entire “collective”. With other relationships, the flock cannot exist as a single organism. The rank of an animal depends on the level of mental development, and not just on physical data.

After all, as you know, it is not so much the strongest that survives, but the smartest. And the leader has to organize the hunt (wolves have a group driven type of hunt, which requires good organization), and make decisions about the division of the prey.

Therefore, peace and quiet reign in the flock. The younger ones obey the elders and feel absolutely protected, while the elders bear the burden of responsibility for everyone.

The wolf pack has seven ranks, it is a perfectly organized society where everyone understands their rights and responsibilities. Management occurs without force, everything is clearly organized, roles are distributed, no one is holding anyone back, but for some reason everyone chooses to live together. The allocation of social ranks in a pack is weakly related to gender and seniority in age. These factors, like physical strength, only ensure the performance of useful functions, nothing more.

Having killed a deer, the wolves stop hunting until all the meat is gone and hunger forces them to get down to business again.

Who are the seasoned, arrived, over-Yarks?

Seasoned (mainland) - this, as scientists say, is the dominant, that is, the main, wolf - the leader! He has offspring and owns the plot. The seasoned one can be both male and female. They are the main couple in the wolf pack.
Puppies that have not yet reached the age of one year are called arrived. They are the youngest in the family. There may be 7-9 of them,
but, as a rule, 3-5. The newborns are in the care of adult wolves, at first mainly the mother, the seasoned she-wolf.

Pereyarki are children of the previous year of birth , remaining on the parents' property. In the spring and early summer they live on the outskirts of the family plot and maintain relationships with their parents. In the second half of summer they approach the center of the site, and in the fall they unite with their parents and younger brothers and sisters. As a rule, there are fewer perennials in a family than arrived ones, since not all children stay with their parents for the second year. There are also families without overlights.

In some families there are more than two adult wolves. In relation to the mature pair, the rest occupy a subordinate position and most often do not have offspring. They are often classified as overbright, although this is not entirely true. In terms of age, these are adult animals, but in terms of their role in the family, they are close to pereyarks. Seasoned, arrived and pereyarki make up a typical wolf family, which can be both simpler and more complex.

Leader is the highest social rank. Assumes responsibility for the entire flock. The leader decides issues of habitat, hunting, protection, organizes everyone, establishes ranks in the pack.

The leader uses his priority right to food at his own discretion. For example, he gives his share to puppies if there is not enough food. His job is to take care of everyone, and the puppies are the future of the pack. However, if the starving leader is unable to lead the pack, everyone will be in danger, so his priority right to food is not disputed.

During the period of establishing a den and feeding puppies, the mature female becomes the main one, and all members of the pack obey her. American researcher David Meech suggested a “division of labor” and leadership between the sexes depending on the time of year and type of activity.
Wolves in a pack, including a couple of seasoned ones, are not always the same age. If the she-wolf is older and more experienced than her partner, then she can determine both the route and hunting tactics, guiding the choice of prey. If the spouse is older, then the decision of the majority depends on him important issues, he even chooses a place for his future lair.

Senior warrior - organizes hunting and protection, a contender for the role of leader in the event of his death or inability to lead the pack.

The mother is an adult she-wolf who has experience raising wolf cubs. She can perform the duties of a mother both in relation to her cubs and in relation to the children of less experienced mothers.

The birth of “children” does not automatically elevate the she-wolf to the rank of mother. As with any other rank, it requires a certain psychophysical development, the ability to make decisions necessary for life.

The mother's tasks include raising and raising offspring.

In the event of an attack on the flock, it is the mothers who take all the weak ones to safety, while the warriors hold the defense.

Senior mother - if necessary, can take the rank of leader. Never competes with an older warrior. The vacated rank is occupied by the most worthy, capable of leading the pack.

There are no fights to determine who is stronger.

During the period of feeding and raising children, all mothers of the pack are under special protection and care.

Reproduction is among wolves and this side of life is organized very beautifully. Once a year, the flock splits into families to give birth and raise offspring. Not everyone is allowed to reproduce. The main condition is to understand your place and role in a large pack family. Therefore, those who do not have a mate live third in a small wolf family, helping to hunt and raise wolf cubs.

Pairs of wolves are for life. If one of the partners dies, a new couple is not created...

Guardian - is responsible for raising the wolf cubs. There are two sub-ranks: pestun and uncle.

Pestun - young she-wolves or wolves that do not claim the rank of warrior, grown-up young animals of the previous litter. They are subordinate to their mothers and carry out their orders, gaining skills in raising and training growing wolf cubs. These are their first duties in the pack.

Uncle is an adult male who does not have his own family and helps raise wolf cubs.

Signalman - warning the flock about dangers. The decisions are made by the more responsible members of the pack.

Puppy is the sixth rank, no responsibility other than obedience to elders, but gives priority to food and protection.

A disabled person is not crippled, but simply an old individual, has the right to food and protection. Wolves take care of their elders.

Why does a wolf need a keen sense of smell?

Animals constantly communicate with each other, and sometimes the forms of this communication (communication) can be very complex. In mammals, three types of communication are most strongly developed: chemical, that is, with the help of smells, acoustic, that is, with the help of sounds, visual (visual), that is, with the help of postures, facial expressions and gestures.

Chemical communication is the most ancient form of animal communication; it already appeared in single-celled organisms. Most mammals have a sensitive sense of smell. And the canine family among them are recognized “sniffers”. So the wolf uses its nose very actively and constantly: both when hunting and collecting information about its brethren. It is difficult for us to imagine how much a dog or a wolf learns about this surrounding world with the help of its nose. They not only distinguish a huge number of odors, but also remember them for a very long time.

Once I saw how a tame wolf, after a long separation, remembered a man. By appearance the beast did not recognize him. The voice probably vaguely reminded him of something - the wolf became wary for a short time, but then began to walk around the cage again. The nose “said” everything at once. As soon as a weak gust of air from the open door carried a familiar smell, the previously indifferent wolf was transformed: he rushed to the very bars, whined, jumped for joy... So the memory of smell for a wolf is the most reliable and strong.

The wolf not only remembers, but also, as one old hunter says, thinks with his nose. Indeed, when hunting, he always takes the wind into account. The entire hunting tactics of the flock depends on the direction of the wind. The ambushers, that is, the wolves that come closest to the prey, always walk so that the wind blows toward them from the direction of the prey. This is an advantageous position - both because this way the prey does not smell the wolf, and because wolves learn a lot about the prey by its smell. Using it, you can choose the “best” victim and then, without getting confused, pursue it.

When do wolves growl or squeak?

Wolves can hear much more better than man, and what seems like an indistinct rustle to us is a clear sound signal for the wolf. Hearing helps to avoid danger, communicate and search for prey. Wolves make many different sounds - they growl, snort, squeak, whine, squeal, bark and howl in different ways.
The purpose of these signals is different. For example, by growling, a wolf communicates its intention to attack or, conversely, to actively defend itself. Snorting warns relatives of danger. Most often this is a signal from adults addressed to children. Hearing him, the wolf cubs hide or hide.

Wolf cubs whine almost immediately after birth, if they are not comfortable - hungry or cold - this is their first acoustic signal. Adults can also whine when they feel bad.
Mostly weak, low-ranking wolves squeal when they are threatened or when they are attacked by stronger relatives. The squeal “disarms”, softens the attacker, calms him down. And expressing friendliness, wolves squeak.

They emit all these signals while being quite close to each other - at a distance from several centimeters to tens of meters. However, wolves also have “long-distance communication” sound signals - barking and howling.

Why do wolves bark and howl?

Wolves bark at a large predator (tiger, bear) or at a person when danger threatens them. But only if the danger is not yet too serious. So barking is a warning signal. Wolves bark much less often than domestic dogs, but they howl often.
We can say that the howl is a kind of “sound face” of the entire genus Canis, and especially the wolf. You can usually find out that wolves live somewhere just by howling. It can be solitary - when the voice of one wolf is not answered by the others, and group - when several animals howl, it doesn’t matter whether they are close or far from each other. The pereyarks howl together, finding themselves far from their parents and newcomers, or all family members.
And, of course, wolves howl in different ways.

Seasoned - very low and long, a single note sounds for at least 20 seconds. This smooth, thick, powerful voice has a very strong effect on a person. The she-wolf howls shorter (10-12 seconds). Her voice is thinner than that of an adult male. Pereyarks howl, whine and bark. Their notes are the same in duration as those of a she-wolf, or even shorter. Young (new) wolf cubs bark, squeal and howl.
During autumn family "singing sessions" the wolf cubs stick together. Their choir is like a cacophony.
The family choir, in which everyone participates - both the seasoned and the old, and the newcomers - is one of the most impressive “concerts” in our forests. After all, wolves howl, as a rule, at dawn or at night. Their voices float into the darkening sky and awaken something in a person beyond the control of reason. Sometimes goosebumps run down your back, not from fear, but from some inexplicable sensation.

Wolves howl very loudly, so that a person can distinguish this sound from 2.5, or even 4 km. Wolves hear each other from an even greater distance - this also depends on the weather. As if familiar with the theory of information transmission, they almost never howl if hearing conditions are poor. They even wait out the sound of a flying plane, a running train or a strong wind.

Until now, the true meaning of howling in the life of a flock is not fully understood. It is clear that neighboring families notify each other of their presence and thus avoid unwanted encounters. It is also clear that sometimes the parents howl to inform the puppies that they are approaching a day with prey, and the kids about where they are. But the most important thing is that it is the howl that creates the overall harmonious mood in the flock. In this way, the role of howling is similar to the role of music for people. Maybe that's why it affects us so strongly. But the howl, revealing the presence of wolves who respond to the wabu (imitation of howl) of hunters, turned out to be their “Achilles heel” in the confrontation with humans.

What paths do wolves go?

Many people believe that wolves are vagabonds and wanderers. This is only partly true: they do not go anywhere at all, but obey a strictly defined order and in well-known places.
The wolf pack has its own, as scientists say, habitat. And the wolves know him like the back of their hand. They are excellent at navigating the terrain and remember all their previous routes, which is why they walk along constant and most convenient paths.

A.N. Kudaktin, who has been studying wolves in the Caucasus for many years, performed this experiment several times: he climbed up the slope to the same place in different ways, including the wolf path. And it always turned out that walking along it was easiest and fastest.
Walking through a flat snow-covered swamp, where, it would seem, there are no signs, the wolves definitely come to old trail, long since covered with snow. However, they know not only the area very well.

They are aware of everything that happens around them: they know where the bear lives and where he lies in a den, where moose or wild boar graze. Wolves notice the slightest changes in familiar places. American zoologist R. Peters, who studies the tactics of movement of wolves around the site, believes that they have a mental map of their habitat.

What is a buffer zone?

In wolves, like many other animals, the outskirts of the habitats of neighboring packs sometimes overlap each other. Then buffer zones are formed in these places. Here you can meet wolves - neighbors, and since relations between packs are most often very hostile, these are the most dangerous places Location on.
Therefore, when entering buffer zones and intensely marking them, wolves still try not to stay for long and, if there is enough prey for both packs, they do not hunt there. We can say that the buffer zone is a kind of reserve for deer and other ungulates, created by the wolves themselves.

When there is little prey in the main territory, wolves of neighboring packs begin to hunt here too. Having met in these places, they, as a rule, fight fiercely, and some of the animals die.

The fewer wolves remain, the fewer ungulates they destroy, the number of deer is gradually restored, and the predator-prey system comes into balance again.

People have a private idea that it is to blame wolf howl is the nocturnal satellite of our planet Moon. It is she who provokes the animal to such behavior. Is this really so, or the real reason lies in something completely different?

In fact, the Moon has absolutely nothing to do with it. In this original way, wolves communicate with each other. Well, the upturned muzzle, facing the night luminary, is just a coincidence. After all, wolves howl not only on the full moon, but also on cloudy days. Sometimes their howl can be heard even during the day. At the same time, for better sound propagation, they raise their heads upward. Well, the fact that wolves howl more often at night is easy to explain. The nights are much quieter than the days. At this time, the wind subsides and sounds travel better. As for people, they cannot see a howling wolf in pitch darkness. They have such an opportunity only on a moonlit night. Hence the sudden conclusion that wolves howl at the moon.

Wolves are pack animals and monogamous. They live in pairs, gathering in small flocks. Everything here is ruled by a leader who coordinates the actions of the pack, keeps order, protects its territory together with other wolves, informs relatives about the prey found, organizes the hunt, etc. The language of communication of animals, in addition to gestures and smells, also includes sounds. For wolves, this is barking, growling and, of course, howling. The roaring wolf looks very scary. He bares his fangs and makes an angry expression on his muzzle. Thus, the animal expresses the extreme degree of its dissatisfaction, and with all its appearance shows that it is ready to take decisive action. Wolves rarely bark, and only if they are aggressive. Their howl is a kind of battle cry, a notice of ownership of a given territory, a way of obtaining information about the location of the flock, and a method of warning relatives about danger. Depending on the goal pursued by the wolf, its tone also changes. This is the original communication tool that wolves have.

Just like people, each wolf has its own original voice. However, this originality is inherent in each species of wolves and each individual pack, which allows its members to easily recognize each other. These include: tonality, loudness, style. All this is comparable to a piece of music, the style of which may differ, be it jazz or classical. Scientists recorded the howl of the North American timber wolf and compared it with the howl of the African jackal. The sound was completely different. In addition, it was noticed that the howl of a lone wolf differs sharply from the howl of a wolf surrounded by the love and care of a pack. The love duet has a completely different mood and a different tone.

Of course, everything we have just told you about is just our guess. We can be right about some things and wrong about others. Over time, everything will fall into place, and we will finally be able to understand the meaning of the wolf howl. For now, we’ll have to be content with the knowledge we have.

Wolves are fast, smart, strong animals, skilled hunters, a symbol of freedom and fearlessness in many cultures, and evoke mixed feelings among people. Here fear is intertwined with admiration and respect, and the image itself is overgrown with myths and fiction. One of them is the belief among most people that wolves, unlike dogs, never bark.

It's better to howl than bark

Barking is a sound familiar to any person, which we most often hear performed by our four-legged companions - dogs. However, besides them, foxes, martens, seals, walruses can bark, even some birds and rodents make similar sounds. And the gray “forest orderlies,” contrary to popular belief, also know how to bark.

By the way, it has been established that dogs that have lost their owners and become feral stop using barking over time.

Due to the fact that wolves rarely bark, people have a strong belief that they do not know how to do this at all, and the absence of barking is one of the obvious differences between wolves and dogs.

When hunting or in order to find or gather their pack together, wolves use howling, and this is what hunters usually hear. In other cases, the wolf, a predator with heightened senses, tries not to give himself away at all.

Wolves rarely bark, usually near the den, giving an alarm signal Wolves often bark only in childhood; with age, they practically stop making any sounds except howls, with the help of which they are able to transmit quite complex messages over vast distances. The wolf uses barking only near its lair with cubs, giving an alarm signal

. For example, if a stranger or a large predator approaches his habitat. In this case, a wolf or she-wolf, finding itself in a stressful situation, makes barking sounds, since a feeling of anxiety is intertwined with an instinct calling for immediate defense of the offspring. At the same time, the wolf barks only if the perceived threat is not critical. Also, adult wolves can bark, warning their comrades about something or expressing their protest. We see the same mechanism in action in relation to domestic dog , but with one amendment: she attaches the same importance to the entire master’s house and the surrounding territory as a wolf does to its lair. Internal contradiction caused, on the one hand, by the desire to begin active actions (to attack the source of the threat or run away from it) and, on the other hand, the desire to protect your habitat, takes the form of loud barking.

In psychoanalysis, such contradictions, by the way, are called cognitive dissonance. Science does not stand still, and the latest genetic research scientists from the University of Chicago (USA), published in the journal PLoS Genetics, made it possible to establish that domestic dogs did not descend from domesticated dogs at all wolves. Dogs and wolves have a common ancestor, but in relation to each other they rather occupy the position of cousins, each of whom followed their own path of development.

Video: wolf barking

In addition, dog barking is usually encouraged by the owner, because many people get dogs precisely so that there will be a “bell” in the yard, warning of visitors or scaring away strangers. For wolves, the situation is the opposite: a wild animal, hunter, predator living in the forest must be silent. Stealth for him is the key to survival and successful hunting.

Popular rumor, which attributes the inability to bark to wolves, is mistaken in this case. And even though gray predators that have reached adulthood make this sound rarely and reluctantly, in case of a threat to their offspring, wolves use barking as a warning, to express their dissatisfaction or protest.