The Language and Music of the Wolves [Tonsil Records 003]
The actual language and music of the Wolf recorded in his remaining territories. And the true explanation of the Wolf and Man, narrated by Robert Redford, actor and nature lover. (Another project of Natural History Magazine)
released in 1971
Some slightly technical information:
The wolf howl is a long, low, mournful sound. It is continuous - from about half a second to 11 seconds in length. It consists of a fundamental frequency, between 150 and 780 cycles per second, and contains up to 12 harmonically related overtones. The pitch remains constant or varies smoothly, and may change direction as many as four or five times. Total intensity does not vary greatly throughout. Yet there is much variation in the howling of different wolves.
The following howls were recorded in Ontario, Michigan, and Minnesota.
SIDE 1 Robert Redford narrates The wolf You Never Knew
SIDE 2 Sounds of the Wolf
Band 1 - Opening Howl
This is the most common vocal communication of wolves: The pack howl. A single wolf starts with a short series of howls, usually lasting about 30 seconds. Once he begins, other pack members approach the animal and join in. This wolf starts more or less by himself, beginning with a few low howls and working up to a series of shorter, higher ones, in chorus with other pack members. When a group howl takes place, there is considerable tail wagging, excitement, and general friendliness between the wolves. Toward the end of a howl, wolves often bark.
Band 2 - First Growls of Wolf Pups Inside the Den
(Recorded underground in a wolf's den)
The first sounds heard are those of the mother digging inside the den. She is breathing heavily. She begins licking the pups and continues breathing heavily. Toward the end of the track, if you listen closely, some of the first growls of the young pups are heard. These pups are probably two or three weeks old. (When pups are born, they are deaf and blind and weigh about one pound.)
A typical wolf den might look like this: The entrance is usually oval in shape, roughly one to two feet in diameter. A tunnel extends 6 to 14 feet into the ground, ending in an enlarged chamber where the newborn pups are kept. No bedding is used. Many times a den will have several entrances and passageways.
Band 3 - Pup Howls - Spring & Fall - Contrasted with Adult
Wolf pups mature rapidly. At six months their bodies catch up with their feet and they look much like an adult. At ten to twelve months, it's very difficult to tell the two apart.
The wolf pup begins howling at 2-3 months, and the first sound you hear is that of a pup howling in the early summer. This is contrasted with the howling of the same pup several months later. The length and tone of the later howl clearly show a developing "howling skill." The track ends with a contrasting howl of a fully grown adult wolf.
Band 4 - Barking
Barking may serve several functions. One may be an alarm and another a threat or challenge to intruders. Also, wolves sometimes end a group howl with barking.
Here a wolf in Algonquin Park begins barking in the distance and approaches to investigate; you can hear him moving around to get a better look. He then returns, barking, to his original position.
Band 5 - Series of 3 Adjacent Single Howls
There's a great difference in pitch, length, and other features of wolf howls, and the patterns in their harmonics are distinct. We can't completely distinguish the patterns of harmonics, but a wolf can.
Because of the harmonic structure, wolf howling could be described as singing, comparable to the human voice or to musical instruments. Harmonics produce the quality of a sound (harmonics make a note played on a guitar sound different from the same note played on a piano); wolves appear to have the ability to discriminate between these harmonics in individual howls. Different harmonics mean various things to wolves, and wolves will respond to specific sounds.
On this track the first wolf is in the distance and the next two are up close. Listen closely, and you can hear differences in their howls. (A wolf will hear much greater differences.)
Band 6 - Comparative Difference in Howls
The following is a comparison of the howls of two different captive wolves which have been studied. The first howl is that of a wolf named Dagwood, the second is that of a wolf named Scamp. Both have two to four harmonics in their howl, but the first harmonic of Dagwood is stronger than that of Scamp.
Band 7 - Single Howls Joined to Give Illusion of Pack Howl
Next is a series of four seperate howls. They have been added one on top of the other in order to give you a better idea of the difference in their howls. Also, it offers a contrived feeling of how a group howl might begin.
Band 8 - Combined Sounds of the Wolf
We first hear barking of two wolves, one on the far left and another on the right. They are shortly joined by the howling of a single wolf. Quickly a fourth wolf joins in howling. They continue together until they are joined by an entire group in a pack howl. The chorus continues, until it ends with barking.
Band 9 - Distant and Close-up Howling ending in Group Howl
The howl lets others in the pack know their location. Here we have a wolf close-up howling (note the bird calls) and he is shortly answered by a wolf in the background. They howl back and forth for a short period, until a group howl begins in the distance, the rest of the pack joining in.
Band 10 - Series of Group Howls
Group howls are one of the most dramatic sounds in all of nature. One wolf begins howling and shortly the rest of the pack joins in.
Here are a series of three group howls. In each one a single wolf begins howling and is shortly joined by the rest of the pack. Notice the precision and the constant shifting of pitch. (Wolves seem to like chords.)
Band 11 - Joint Group Howl
We have brought together two separate group howls to show their differences and similarities. First a single wolf begins howling. Another immediately joins in from the second pack. They howl back and forth until the pack of the first wolf begins howling. A little later the second pack joins in.
This record was made with the assistance and recordings of:
Durward Allen
Department of Forestry and Conservation
Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana
L. David Mech
Division of Wildlife Services
U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
Douglas H. Pimlott
Department of Zoology
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
Russell J. Rutter
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests
Huntsville, Ontario
John B. Theberge
Division of Environmental Studies
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
George Wilson
Amateur Wolf Specialist
Marquette, Michigan
Douglas H. Pimlott and John B. Theberge also served as consultants.
We are indebted to Robert Redford for his narration.