Ways That Wolves Communicate

Like humans, wolves use sounds and gestures to communicate. Posture, facial expressions, scent and verbal cues are methods wolves use to talk with other wolves. Wolves communicate dominance and subordination. They create territorial boundaries. They give other wolves their locations. A wolf expresses his happiness, anger and playfulness through physical action.

  1. Posture

    • Wolves use posture to send messages of dominance, submission and playfulness. An angry wolf perks his ears straight up and bares his teeth. A wolf rolls on his back to submit to another wolf. Dominant wolves hold their heads high and have a partly erect tail. They stare at other wolves without looking away. The dominant wolf in a pack is apparent by his actions toward other members of the pack. He might sideswipe them, slam his body into them or growl at them. Wolves signal play time to one another, too. A wolf that wants to play crouches down and wags his tail while appearing to smile, much like domesticated canines do.

    Scent

    • Wolves have an estimated 280 million olfactory receptors, the neurons in the nose responsible for smell, notes the book "Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation." A wolf uses her superior sense of smell to communicate with other wolves and notice scents up to 1.5 miles away, according to Boreal Forest Library. She is able to locate pack members, detect intruders and find food through scent. Wolves use scent to communicate territory with other wolves. They mark their spaces with feces and urine, so that other wolves detect the scent and know they are entering claimed territory.

    Sound

    • Wolves howl, growl, squeak, whimper and bark to communicate. When a wolf wants to alert the pack to danger or challenge another animal, he barks. A wolf fighting for dominance growls. Mothers call their pups by squeaking or soothe them by whimpering. Howling is used for a variety of reasons, including relaying location to other wolves, attracting mates, raising pack excitement before hunts, reacting to intruders and regrouping. At the beginning of a group howl, a wolf barks a few times and then howls in a low pitch. As other wolves join in, the howl becomes louder.

    Facial Expressions

    • Wolves use their mouths, eyes and noses to communicate. A happy wolf opens her mouth, lets her tongue hang out and keep hers ears forward. If she is trying to threaten another animal, she wrinkles her nose, shows her teeth and pulls her lips forward. An anxious or threatened wolf keeps her mouth closed and lips drawn back. An alpha wolf makes other wolves cringe with a fixed stare, similar to glaring.