Threatening wolves hold their tails high, almost perpendicular, while submissive wolves lower themselves before dominant pack members, tails tucked between their legs. Wolves also use tail positions to communicate emotion. Conversely, closed mouths, slit-like eyes and ears pulled back and held close to the head indicate subordinate behavior. Generally, bared teeth with ears erect and pointed forward indicate a threat by dominant wolves. Facial expressions are among the most obvious visual ways in which wolves express emotions. This body language helps the pack live together and function as a harmonious unit. Within a pack of wolves, specialized behaviors and postures have evolved that help to reduce the aggression between individual animals.
Urination is the most common form of scent marking for wolves.īody language: A great deal of the communication among wolf pack members involves body language.
Because wolves have scent glands between their toes, they leave their personal signature wherever they walk. Scent marking is used to clearly mark the boundaries of territories, to claim and defend that territory from other packs, to mark food ownership and to act as a sort of road map for the pack itself. Scent: Olfactory communication among wolves consists primarily of scent marking. Wolves use three main avenues of communication: olfactory (scent), postural (body language) and vocal.