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Wolf Day
"A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man could truly tame a wolf."
~ A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin, 2011
If you think the Dire Wolf is merely a fantastical invention from the Game of Thrones novels, think again! Canis dirus roamed North America during the last Ice Age, sharing the land with the mighty saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis). These big-boned predators were larger than modern wolves, tipping the scales at up to 175 pounds. Their formidable jaws were well-suited for a diet of hoofed mammals, and they occasionally preyed on giant camels, mastodons, bison, and even giant ground sloths.
Although smaller, today’s wolves are thought to be more intelligent—a trait that may have helped them survive when their dire cousins vanished around 10,000 years ago. Modern wolves thrive through cooperation, forming tightly knit packs that hunt together, rear their pups communally, and defend their territory from rival packs.
One of the most haunting and iconic traits of wolves is their howl. This long-distance call conveys a wealth of information, from rallying the pack to warning off intruders. Thanks to its high pitch and sustained notes, a wolf’s howl can carry for up to six miles in dense forest, and as far as ten miles across the open tundra.
Ahwooooooooo! 🤎🤍🖤🐺🐺🐺If you think the Dire Wolf is merely a fantastical invention from the Game of Thrones novels, think again! Canis dirus roamed North America during the last Ice Age, sharing the land with the mighty saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis). These big-boned predators were larger than modern wolves, tipping the scales at up to 175 pounds. Their formidable jaws were well-suited for a diet of hoofed mammals, and they occasionally preyed on giant camels, mastodons, bison, and even giant ground sloths.
Although smaller, today’s wolves are thought to be more intelligent—a trait that may have helped them survive when their dire cousins vanished around 10,000 years ago. Modern wolves thrive through cooperation, forming tightly knit packs that hunt together, rear their pups communally, and defend their territory from rival packs.
One of the most haunting and iconic traits of wolves is their howl. This long-distance call conveys a wealth of information, from rallying the pack to warning off intruders. Thanks to its high pitch and sustained notes, a wolf’s howl can carry for up to six miles in dense forest, and as far as ten miles across the open tundra.
Join the pack and wrap yourself in this fur-coloured tartan—its soft, blended hues evoking the thick, warm coat of the timber wolf, and a howl of style for those wild at heart. Ahwooooooooo! 🤎 🤍 🖤 🐺 🐺 🐺
The Timber Wolf, also known as the Grey Wolf, ranges in color from grizzled grey or black to all-white. As the ancestor of the domestic dog, the grey wolf most resembles German shepherds or malamutes.
Grey wolves were once common throughout all of North America. Today, their range is limited to Canada, Alaska, the Great Lakes, northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to the reintroduction of wolves in 1995, Yellowstone National Park is one of the most favored places to see and hear wolves in their native habitat.
This tartan, by designer Carol A.L. Martin, was inspired by the sound of " timber wolves howling while hiking in the Canadian Rockies."
Many ancient civilizations paired wolves with the moon in both images and literature, a coupling which eventually evolved into today's popular belief that wolves howl at the moon. While experts have found no connection between the phases of the moon and wolf howling, pointing their faces upwards while howling allows wolves to project their calls farther.
Today, wolf howling is one of the most distinctive and well-studied animal vocalizations. Wolves howl as a form of long-distance communication, conveying a range of information. Because of the high pitch and the suspension of notes, the sounds of wolf howls can carry as far as 6 miles in the forest and even 10 miles across the treeless tundra.
In general, the primary reasons why wolves howl include:
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A rally cry for the pack to meet up
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A signal to let the pack know of a wolf's location
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A warning for outside wolves to stay out of a pack's territory
Since howls bear coding for a wolf's body size and health (with the larger animals exhibiting deeper tones), males can signal their status to females through these vocalizations.
Whether the moon is full or not, click the wolf pair for an amazing site on wolf communication.