Sent

Scent plays an important role in communication, as expressed in the vast array of scent glands located on the head and tail regions (the most common places for sniffing) of canids. Mutual sniffing, first of the head and then of the anogenital regions, is characteristic of meetings between canids. Tail position may play a part in scent communication: a dominant animal raises its tail to facilitate scenting by the other animal, and a submissive animal will lower its tail to mask its scent. pregnant doges in heat carry their tails constantly raised and turned to one side, in effect broadcasting their condition. The violet gland on the surface of the tail is also checked during social sniffing.

All species scent-mark territorially, primarily by spraying urine on the object of interest. Familiar landmarks are routinely sprayed on a "patrol" around the territory, but if something new or interesting appears it may be sprayed to indicate ownership by the spraying animal. Dominant animals scent-mark most often and most visibly; subordinate animals may squat like puppies to urinate and rarely mark objects as their own. Dominant animals usually lift a leg and stand with tail raised during urination (dominant males will thingy a leg high; dominant females still squat, but often with one foot off the ground), and follow urination with a succession of raking movements of the hind legs and general aggressive behavior.

Facial gestures and body postures

Wolves use a variety of facial gestures and body postures to show where they stand in the pack's hierarchy. The position of a wolf's tail can be used to tell whether or not it is a dominant wolf or a subservient wolf. The alpha wolves of a pack generally hold their tails up very high, and the subservient wolves keep their tails hanging down. Very low ranking wolves will hold their tails between their legs or curved alongside their legs, and subservient wolves often tuck their tails between their legs when approaching an alpha wolf to show that they acknowledge the alpha wolf's place in the pack's hierarchy.
The position of a wolf's tail can also be used to tell what kind of a mood it's in. A confident wolf holds its tail up high, and a frightened wolf will hold its tail between its legs.

Wolf Facial Expressions:

The position of a wolf's ears can also be used to tell where it stands in the pack's hierarchy or how it is feeling. Alpha wolves always keep their ears erect, while lower ranking wolves often keep them flattened, particularly when they approach an alpha wolf. A wolf who is feeling cautious or apologetic will hold its ears back against its head, and a happy, confident or playful wolf will hold its ears high and erect. A wolf that wants to threaten another will hold its ears forward. Also, dominant wolves (regardless of fun) urinate with the raised leg position and subservient wolves squat down to urinate. The condition of a wolf's fur can also be used to determine its status. Subservient wolves generally keep their fur flat, while alpha wolves keep their fur looking more fluffed-out. All of the guard hairs on a wolf's body will stand on end if it is trying to threaten another wolf, and it will also raise its upper lip to bear its teeth.

Wolf Sounds:


Chuff -- A kind of muffled bark used to communicate, irc wolves chuff to greets and bid farewell, in play, to get another wolves attention.

Gruff- A growl-chuff, can be playful or expressing annoyance

Sigh- A happy sigh, or sad sigh, wolves sigh when they are tired as well

Bark/woof- Wolves bark to warn the Pack of danger. Wolves do not bark for the same reasons as domestic dogs. This is a sound of distress or warning.

Howl- Wolves howl for many reasons; to call hunts or gatherings, after hunt wolves howl for the spirit of the prey killed to feed the Pack, wolves howl to mourn a missing pack mate or simply to honor the Spirit of the Wolf

Whimper- Pups whimper, adults occasionally whimper to express joy or happiness to be with a loved one, whimpering can also show sadness

Whine- Whining is for distress or if a wolf is frightened, wolves also whine is they are sad
Pant- Wolves pant when they are worn out after play or a hunt, they pant when they are hot in the summer to release heat. The tongue lolls out of a wolf's mouth.

Murr- sound of affection toward mates, pack mates and other wolf friends, murring can be compared to purring from a cat.

Growl- There are many meaning for growling. Growling expresses dominance to other wolf or a threat to keep there distance. If a wolf growls they may be expressing annoyance toward another wolf. Growling is a subtle warning to know your place. Growling can also be in play taunting a fellow playmate.

Snarl- Snarling is a more serious form of growling. When a wolf snarls at another, there teeth are bared in warning. This can be accompanied by a direct stare from a dominant wolf. It is a warning to step back or stop the wrong behavior of another.



"Play" in all three species is marked by the expression of any or all of these postures and gestures but without the sense of "formality" which accompanies non-play behavior -- during play, subdominant animals may chase and harass more dominant ones, but when play is over, the original rank order returns. The essence of play is a relaxed face and repeated, apparently purposeless movements such as poking with the muzzle, "dancing" with the forepaws, bouncing or brief, invitational runs. Play is seen most frequently in pups of all species, but in the social animals (wolves) play behavior may continue to a degree into adulthood. Adult wolves will invite play chases from one another with a "play face" -- lips drawn back horizontally, an open-mouthed grin, ears more or less erect, eyes partially closed and slanted -- or the play bow. Adult red foxes and coyotes exhibit playful behavior primarily only during courtship.

Playful Actions:

bowing- Wolves will lower their front and watches another wolf hoping to play, their tails are usually wagging

snorking- sticking your nose in another's wolf ear and...yuck!! You can also snork the tummy

frothing- drool, nosey, drool, drool, drool!

pouncing- wolves jump on each other in surprise and play

taunting- wolves will pounce the ground, rump in the air, usually giving off a playful growl then scamper backwards and pounce the ground again, enticing a lazy wolf to come play

chasing- usually after taunting a wolf will stand up and run after the playmate and try to bring them down with a playful pounce

nipping- of the scruff/ears/muzzle/tail

wrestling- wolves love rolling around the ground, pawing each others muzzle flopping over each other

Sounds of play- growling, chuffing, panting, yelping, yipping

hide-n-seek (game)- sometimes wolves will scamper away from a playmate, run around the clearing, and find a good hiding spot, the other playmate will sniff around the area trying to find the hiding wolf

mockplay/playfight (game)- wolves usually pounce the ground and growl to play challenge another wolf, usually they'll suddenly pounce another playmate, wrestling, scruffing them, growling, chuffing, and running around tail wagging

wolf hopping (game)- cubs hop over the other cubs or adults to encourage play

After play, wolves most often curl up with their playmate and nuzzle, lick and groom one another as a sign of friendship and affection, showing it was all in good fun.


Aggressive behavior

Aggressive behavior is shown almost exclusively to conspecifics: either as an attack against an intruder on the individual's or pack's territory or as a move to dominate another animal. Ears are held erect (or pushed to the side in "airplane ears"), lips puckered and closed or slightly open, eyes wide open, hackles and tail erect, tail held stiffly. The animal carries its body rigidly, with confidence and a stiff-legged walk, and stares at the object of aggression directly, keeping eye contact. Two animals coming together in a ritual (rather than an attack) dominance interaction often make a "T" formation, with the dominant animal pressing its chest into the other's flank. The aggressor may press its chest into the other animal's shoulder or stand up with stiff forelegs braced on the other's shoulder. Mounting is also occasionally seen as a dominance display.

Birth and pregnancy

Preparation for the birth of the pups is a group effort. While the mother begins to prepare one or more dens, the other pack members store food for her to eat, burying it in caches near the den site. The pregnant female may create a den in a cave, a hollow log, or an abandoned den usually of a fox or beaver. Often the female prepares more than one den as a backup site, in case environmental conditions or encroaching animals threaten the pups. A new den may be complete three weeks before the pups are due. Most often a day before the birth, the mother will enter the confinement of the den.

Often the litter size is five or six pups, but can be as little as one or as much as eleven. At birth, pups weigh one pound, cannot hear or see and cannot regulate their own body temperature, depending completely on their mother their first weeks of life. Their mother is the only member of the pack that has contact with them during this time.

All pups have soft, fuzzy brown or black fur at birth with small, droopy ears and blunt muzzles. Within two weeks pups open their eyes and most often begin to walk at this time as well. Between 3-4 weeks they begin to develop real vision. Their eyes are a baby blue, but usually change as they mature. Up to this time, they have fed off their mother's milk. At around three weeks, pups begin to eat semisolid food regurgitated by their mother. They leave the confinement of the den by around 1 month and begin traveling with the pack by 3-5 months. Since IRC wolves don't really travel and stay in the clearing, this would mean the pups would stay close to the den and meet the members for up to 3-5 months, then may start exploring the territory. Pups are independent at about 1 year.

The pack is overly excited when greeting the young pups as they are the pack's future. The pack members welcome the pups with licks and nuzzles, sniffing the new scents. Each wolf now takes the role of Caretaker. Each member provides food, play, and protection for the pups. Adults carry food back for the pups announcing their arrival with little squeaking noises. The pups in turn greet them squeaking, begging, tail wagging then nibble and lick the feeder's muzzle to stimulate regurgitation.

Cubs 3 to 5 months old will begin to learn how to hunt small prey with guidance from the leaders. At 6 to 8 months they may begin hunting medium prey with the Pack. At 9 to 11 months they may hunt big prey with the pack and 12 months to hunt Huge prey. The cubs must be accompanied during their first year. After their first year, they are treated as adult members.

Subordinates vs. Alpha;

A low ranking wolf will often greet an Alpha wolf by keeping its body low to the ground, with its fur and ears flat. It will then reach up and gently lick or nip the muzzle of the Alpha wolf. Sometimes, all pack members will greet an Alpha in this manner when they return from being absent. This behavior is called active submission; they know their place within the hierarchy and the Alpha does not need to assert they're dominance. Harmony is kept.

Asserting Dominance;

If a subordinate wolf tries to challenge the authority of an Alpha wolf, the Alpha will assert their dominance. This can be done in a variety of ways.

-Sometimes, the Alpha will only need to give a stern stare to the rebellious wolf. Wolves do not look at each other directly in the eyes unless they are trying to express their dominance or threaten another wolf.
-The dominant wolf may have to growl and bare its teeth at the rebellious wolf.
-The higher ranking wolf may crouch on the ground as if it were going to pounce on the offender.
-A dominant wolf will also seize the muzzle of a subordinate wolf to assert its authority.
-A dominant animal may also place its front paws across the shoulders of a subordinate animal to assert its authority.

When the subordinate wolf is ready to submit, it will lie on the ground and expose its side and belly to the Alpha. This act is called passive submission, and the alpha wolf will accept it as though it were an apology.


Subtle Dominance and Submission;

A dominant wolf will sit up from laying down or stand up from sitting to express their dominance to an approaching wolf in a mild manner. A dominant wolf will also tilt its muzzle up to offer their chin to a submissive wolf. In response, a submissive wolf would lick or nip the higher ranked wolf's chin gently as a show of respect. Dominant wolves hold their tail higher than others when asserting dominance without being overly aggressive..

A submissive wolf will sit or lay down in front of a more dominant wolf to express their submission. Submissive wolves hold their tail lower than other wolves. Example; visitors should be more submissive then all others. Newer members should be more submissive to Older Pack Members. Members should be submissive to Alpha and Beta, Gamma, Warrior, Guardian, Hunter, ect. You get the idea...

Emotions through Body Language

Happy/content
Facial expression: open mouth, tongue hanging loosely with lips drawn back, ears forward.
Body posture: relaxed, loose tail wagging
Vocalization: happy panting, chuffing

Anger/threatening
Facial expression: wrinkled nose, snarling with lips pulled forward, bared teeth, ears upright
Body posture: standing tall with arched neck, hackles raised, tail lifted stiffly or horizontal to back
Vocalization: snarling and growling. A low rumbling growl is subtle threat, whereas more high-pitched growling shows high aggressiveness.

Sadness/Mourning
Facial expression: ears droopy, eyes lowered
Body posture: head and body lowered, tail drooping, fur smoothed
Vocalization: whining. Wolves often howl when mourning a lost pack member.

Curious/Investigating
Facial expression: eyes widened/alert, ears perked forward
Body posture: head lifted, tail loose with tip curled upwards

Playfulness
Facial expression: open mouth, tongue hanging loosely with lips drawn back, ears forward
See: Wolf Play

Fear
Facial expression: mouth opened, ears flattened back, eyes widened
Body posture: crouched ready to spring, rounded back with tail close to body curled between or around legs
Vocalization: defensive growling and/or a high pitched whine

Humiliation
Facial expression: lips drawn back and downward, ears drawn back and flattened
Body posture: rounded back, tail half curled under

Submission

Facial expression: keeps mouth closed with lips drawn back, ears laid back and lowers eyes avoiding eye contact.
Body posture: lowered body with fur flattened, tail tucked under
Gesture: Wolves roll onto their back to present their vulnerable undersides as a sign of complete submission. They often paw at the other wolf's muzzle and face, encouraging play to ease the tension. To show mild and respectful submission a lower rank will lick under the dominant wolf’s muzzle and neck.
Vocalization: whimpering/whining

Warning/annoyance
Facial expression: staring directly at offending wolf, ears lifted and pointing forward, or flattened when showing annoyance
Body posture: fur ruffled, tail raised or flicking quickly
Gesture: The direct stare is a serious and stern way for a high-ranking wolf to warn another to obey or to back off. Often all a dominant wolf has to do to keep authority and peace is stare at a lower rank and it will immediately cringe, turn and slink away.
Vocalization: A soft growl may accompany the stare as a warning.

Suspicion
Facial expression: ears flattened, narrowed eyes
Body posture: Lifted head, tail slightly raised

Dominance
Facial expression: ears upright and forward, eyes keen/alert
Body posture: head lifted, standing tall and confident with tail raised high, sometimes curling backwards
Gesture: In a display of friendly dominance, a dominant wolf stands over another, closing its jaws gently over the wolf’s muzzle. This is a re-enforcement of status without bloodshed. In a simpler version of this, the dominant wolf arches its neck and nips the other on top of the muzzle.

 Wolf Scent

On a hunt, wolves can pick up amazing detail about their prey:

When hunting down an animal, wolves will pick out the weakest - lame animals, injured or the young.

When on the chase, the animal leaves scent marks on the surrounding foliage and the wolves know this - for example, saliva left on a plant by an animal can tell a lot about it. If the smell is more fowl, it tells the animal's teeth may be rotten, and this could indicate it is old, a good sign for wolves hunting it.

Waiting and watching a herd can be a great advantage to a hunting pack - this gives the wolves a chance to decide which animal to go for. On chasing a herd, they can pick up, for example, the way in which each animal moves - one that is lame or born with a deformed leg.

Keep these points in mind when hunting.

Sometimes, situations can work against wolves too - for example,
A pack of wolves is desperate and on the move, following and chasing a herd of deer. The deer will do anything to shake the pack off, ascending up large hills to slow them down etc. In heavy snow-covered lands, wolves tire quickly as moving through thick snow drains their energy.
A chase can sometimes lead a pack into enemy pack territory, if they ignore the marked boundaries to catch their prey.

In this case, the pack will have 2 options -
leave, and give up their meal to the pack territory owners, or fight for it.
If they fight for it, they risk being killed by the pack, as not all their own pack members are with them!

Whatever happens in these lands, it is up to you to decide what you will do.

Wolf Language

-Originally written by FlameMagick and -Wolfsoul-

COLORS
tints, shades, hues

BLACK
ash, charcoal, charred, clouded, coal, dark, dingy, dusky, ebon, ebony, ink like, jet, livid, melanin, midnight, murky, night, nigrescent, nigrous, obsidian, onyx, piceous, pitch, pitch-dark, raven, sable, shadowy, slate, somber, sombre, sooty, starless, swart, swarthy, tourmaline,

WHITE
alabaster, ashen, blanched, bleached, bloodless, bone, Caucasian, chalky, clear, fair, frosted, ghastly, hoary, immaculate, ivory, light, marble, milky, moon, moonstone, neutral, pallid, pasty, pearly, polar, pure, snow, snowy, spotless, stainless, transparent, unblemished, unsullied, wan, waxen,

GREY
bleary, blurred, caliginous, cloudy, dark, dingy, dreary, dull, dusk, dusky, faded, faint, flat, flint, fuzzy, gloomy, gray, grey, indistinct, lackluster, lightless, mat, monotone, monotonous, murky, muted, obscured, opaque, overcast, pale, poorly lit, silver, silvery, shadowy, sullied, tarnished, tenebrous, unclear, unilluminated, vague, weak,

BROWN
amber, auburn, bay, beige, bister, brick, bronze, buff, burnt sienna, chestnut, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, copper, drab, dust, ecru, fawn, ginger, hazel, henna, khaki, mahogany, nut, ochre, puce, russet, rust, sepia, snuff-colored, sorrel, tan, tawny, terra-cotta, toast, umber

GREEN
blooming, bosky, budding, burgeoning, callow, developing, emerald, flourishing, foliate, forest, fresh, grassy, growing, half-formed, immature, infant, juvenile, leaf, leafy, lush, maturing, moss, pliable, puerile, pullulating, raw, recent, sprouting, supple, tender, undecayed, undried, unfledged, ungrown, unripe, unseasoned, verdant, verdurous, visculent, young, youthful

RED
bittersweet, blood, bloodshot, blooming, blush, brick, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, cerise, cherry, chestnut, claret, copper, coral, crimson, dahlia, damask, flaming, florid, flushed, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, glowing, healthy, inflamed, infrared, magenta, maroon, pink, puce, redness, rose, roseate, rosy, rubicund, ruby, ruddy, russet, rust, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, terra cotta, titian, vermeil, vermilion, wine

GOLDEN/YELLOW
aureate, auric, auriferous, aurous, aurulent, blond, blonde, caramel, dusty, flaxen, gold, golden, honeyed, mellow yellow, ochroid, straw, tan, tawny, wheat, wheaten

BLUE
aquamarine, azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, glacier, ice, indigo, lapis, navy, royal, sapphire, sea, sky, teal, turquoise, ultramarine

PURPLE
amethyst, bluish red, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, perse, plum, pomegranate, violaceous, violet

BODY
build, carcass, chassis, constitution, embodiment, figure, form, frame, make-up, shaft, shape, tenement, torso, trunk

FUR
covering, crust, ectoderm, epidermis, fell, fleece, coat, hide, husk, integument, leather, membrane, pelage, pellicle, pelt, peltry, rind, scale, scarfskin, shell, silk, skin, velvet, wool

EARS
Lobes, pinnae, solae, auds, auditories, listeners, acoustics, zeniths, auddettes

HEAD
crania, dial, apex, crown, cerebrum, skull, caput

EYES
headlights, lamps, oculars, oculuses, optics, orbs, lanterns, pools, visors, Chasms
globes, spheres,

MUZZLE
Mug, plush, maw, nares, kisser, velveteen, snouth, trap, jowls, jaws, probiscis

LIPS
Rims, labrums, labria, rimming, leathers, chaps, kissers

TEETH
Incisors, enamels, fangs, pearls, ivories, canines, razors

NECK
Serpentine, boa, scruff, spine, nape, curvature

BACK
aft, hindpart, hindquarters, posterior, rear, reverse, stern, haunches, rump, saddle, bench

TAIL
Plume, tassel, banner, appendage, ribbon, pendulum, flag, whipcord
tendril, streamer, wisp, brush, whip

LEGS
Pillars, pistons, beams, limbs, shanks, stilts, appendai

PAWS
mitts, pads, hands, phalanges

CLAWS
Talons, grippers, spurs, extensions, grapplers, daggers

THIN
Slender, svelte, lithe, sleek, slender, lean, willowy, delicate, lissom, serpentine, wiry, trim,

MALE
Mascu, bronc, brujo, stag, drake, brute, beast, stud, hessian, virile, titan, gladiator, hellion, demon, charger, protector, he-wolf, buck, lupe, vulp, wulf, stallion

FEMALE
Femme, fae, fatale, vix, vixen, femora, lady, dove, maiden, dame, naiad, bruja, mistress, damsel, doe, huntress, demoness, damsel, minx, she-wolf, filly, lupess, vulpess, wolvena, mare, fyxe

KID
Pup, cub, youth, offspring, progeny, whelp, ageless, youngling, wolfling, younglet, wolflet, kit, child

AGE
Youthful, young, juvenile, primed, seasons, aged, decrepit, ancient, legend, elderly, veteran, winters, summers, old, years, getting on (in your years)

ACTIONS

WALK
Pad, stroll, tread, amble, saunter, slink, slide, shuffle, strut, navigate, stalk, prowl, snake, stride, glide, weave (in and out of), prance, slip (past), entwine (around), march, pace, hike, toddle, totter, stagger, waddle, trundle, plonk (yes, this can be used. I read it in "Lord of the Flies"), wafted/breezed (past), trudge, tramp, traipse, slog, plod, trek, lumber, trailed (after something), stomp, meander, mosey, wander, drift (past), swagger, parade, gambol, romp, caper, scamper, scurry, swept (by), brush (past), scoot, travel, flit, stump, clump, traverse, trundle

JOG
Trot, bounce, hustle, walk briskly,

RUN
Lope, sprint, hunt, dash, dances, stumble, dart, rush, bound, race, bolt

WATCH

Regard, look, study, observe, surbey, gaze, glare, stare, glance, glimpse, examine, peer, peep

NOD
Confirm, bob, dip, drop, concur, affirm, tilt/incline (of the head)

FROWN

knotted, creased, furrowed (for example, "Her brow creased in sorrow")

DESCRIPTIVE TERMS

STRONG

Brawny, massy, buff, burly, well-built, stalwart, robust, sturdy, tough.

WEAK

Tender, frail, scrawny, puny, fragile, delicate, helpless

EVIL

Malevolent, sinful, malicious, immoral, foul, tainted, wicked, vile, nefarious, heinous, bad, dark

GOOD

Pure, kind-hearted, of the light, moral, upright, virtous, noble, worthy, blameless

NEUTRAL

Unbiased, nonaligned, middle of the roads, indifferent, on the fence

FAST

Quick, speedy, rapid, swift, express, high-speed, fleeting, brisk, prompt, like a flash

SLOW

Ponderous, slothful, lumbering, leisurely (pace)

SMALL

Minute, little, diminutive, short of stature, tiny, minture, petit, undersized, miniscule

BIG
brawny, muscular, mammoth, colossal, massive, sinewy, burly
stocky, bulky, huge, great, enormous, immense, giagantic, large, well-built, big in stature