How Wolves Communicate

A lot of research has been done about wolves and the way that they communicate their feelings and needs to other wolves. They use their sense of smell to communicate by "marking" territory the way dogs do, and by scratching the ground - which may leave a scent if glands that are located in the feet are stimulated.

The scent markers may have many different functions. They tell intruders that they are entering territory that belongs to another pack, or tell members of a pack that they are still inside their territory. They may also help a lost member find home or help a pack locate a lone wolf. Wolves also identify each other by their individual scents. They often "scent role" by rubbing their fur on an object and thus transfering the scent to another place.

Learn more about the communication systems of the wolf pack by clicking on the icons below. Pretend that you are a wolf and try to "talk" your way through some tricky wolf situations on Your Turn. Then, tell us about the way your pet communicates in The Great Dragonfly Challenge.

Howls and Growls	Watch Your Posture!	Pack Facts	Wolf Pup	Your Turn	Dragonfly Challenge	Dragonfly Home

Most of the pictures and sounds come to us courtesy of the good people at three Wolf Web Sites:
Wolves on the Web
Wolf Homepage and
The Searching Wolf
Special thanks to Brandon Harrison, Perry Hendrix, Andrea Burnett, and Sienna Berry for work on an earlier draft of these pages.