August 23, 2013

Wolf howling is affected by social relationships



Wolves have their own way of communicating: they howl. Scientists of the Messerli Research Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) in collaboration with scientists of the Universities of Zürich and Parma have investigated what drives this form of vocalization. When individual wolves are separated from the pack, the intensity of howling of each remaining pack member is determined by the relationship between the separated wolf and the howler, while emotional stress is less important. The results are published today in the prestigious journal Current Biology.