When people want to express a state of deep melancholy and sadness, they often say that they want to “howl at the moon.” The imagination immediately paints an eerie picture: a lone wolf standing somewhere in a dark forest, on a hill. He raised his head up and howled protractedly, looking at the moon.
The plot has long become traditional for the artist’s brush. Similar stories are usually shared by hunters and residents of settlements near the forest. And these stories gave rise to many myths about werewolves turning into wolves on a moonlit night. There are also many legends and fairy tales about the mysterious connection of this predator with the moon.
The Legend of the White and Red Wolves and the Moon
A long time ago, back in the days when the sky god Svarog was the father of all gods, he sent the god of moonlight, Hora, to descend to earth, into a dense forest, to convey his orders to the forest inhabitants. And he had to calm down the wolf pack, which was raging beyond measure in its aggression and gluttony.
Having turned into a huge white wolf, Hore went down and conveyed to the pack Svarog’s command to stop the outrages. But the wayward red-haired leader Chubars did not listen to the admonitions of the gods. He wanted to continue gnawing, tearing and biting all living things, so that everyone around him would be afraid of the ferocious wolves.
And then the god Khora decided to severely punish the red-haired Chubars: he sent him into eternal exile to the Moon itself, so that there he would constantly gnaw and tear only bare stones.
Since then, his descendants, the wolves, barely seeing the bright disk of the moon, remember their ancestor-leader and start a mournful song, at the same time melancholy and creepy. People call that song "howl." And they hear in her the bitterness of a predator who has lost part of his strength, and a hidden threat.
What are the real causes of wolf howling?
This is how the fairy tale explains the behavior of animals. Why do wolves actually howl at the moon? Zoological specialists have long been studying the causes of these terrifying sounds.
It turned out, for example, that the wolf howl is just one of the types of communication of these predators, with its help they share information with each other:
- they “blow” the gathering for the flock to hunt;
- resolve territorial issues with rivals;
- call females or males to themselves;
- warn partners or flock about danger;
- give a sign to relatives about their location;
- protect freshly caught prey.
It is also curious that wolves in this way share not only practical, useful information, but also with his animal experiences:
- this may be the experience of losing a partner or a child;
- there may be joy from adding to the family;
- expression of pain from the injury;
- anxiety when a companion disappears or other emotions.
For example, the famous zoologist Jason Badridze suggested that wolves howl if their leader disappears. In this way they call the leader into the flock. Not all scientists agree with this idea. Many believe that predators react this way to any stressful situation, and howling helps them relieve stress.
There are also interesting observations that howling is one of the ways of defense, a means of deceiving an opponent. Since the sounds are made in completely different tones, it is difficult for a potential enemy to correctly estimate the number of individuals in the flock. Often the song of 3-4 wolves is perceived as the howl of an entire pack.
The intonation and timbre of the song depend on the type transmitted information. Research scientists and some experienced hunters have even learned to recognize whether the voice belongs to a male or female. They can sometimes themselves read information intended for animals. For example, a call to hunt is distinguished from a howl notifying the birth of offspring.
What does the moon have to do with it?
Why do animals need to communicate during the full moon? Moon phases really influence many processes occurring on earth. They influence the ebb and flow of the tides and determine the days of planting and harvesting.
The moon also affects the physical and emotional state of people. But, according to most scientists, the luminary of the night has no effect at all on wolves. They may well howl both at night and during the day, both alone and in groups, even in flocks.
Most likely, the answer is that in the dark these four-legged animals are more active; they are night hunters. In addition, when the moon is full, the weather is usually quiet and sounds carry quite far. Its bright light illuminates all surroundings much better than during the month or at cloudy weather. During this period, everything that happens in the forest becomes more audible and noticeable.
And the predator also looks at the moon for quite understandable reasons. The thing is anatomical structure larynx. When you raise your head, it is freed and the outgoing sound is cleaner and louder.
However, some researchers still insist that it is during the full moon that such phenomena are observed more often.
They offer several explanations:
- During this period, the lighting is brighter; hunting may be more successful than in complete darkness. Predators simply try not to miss a good chance to get prey.
- It is believed that wolves have only black and white vision. This does not give them the opportunity to really distinguish sunlight from night light. A lot of excess light causes panic, irritation and aggressiveness in them.
In any case, the influence of the full moon on wolves cannot be called significant and, even more so, mysterious. But it affects people quite noticeably and during this period they are, of course, more inclined to mystify.
In many cultures, the wolf is considered one of the representatives dark forces, along with the black raven, bats and some other representatives of the fauna. The moon is also identified in many traditions with witchcraft and magic. Therefore, in the human mind, these two symbols are easily mixed, complement each other and become the subject of incredible fantasies.
Video: why does a wolf howl on a moonlit night?
Why do you think wolves howl at the moon? Well, to be honest, they don’t care how or when to howl. This is a way of communication: whether the time has come for a new leader to appear in the pack, whether the she-wolf has offspring, or whether it is time to hunt. And gray predators go out at night to hunt for prey, and accordingly, communicate more often at this time of day. By the way, wolves “howl at the moon” even in the absence of a moon. It’s just that at the time when the Earth’s satellite is clearly visible, as a rule, there is no wind, so the drawn-out wolf “singing” carries far and clearly.
The wolf stands with his head up so that he can be heard better. So the image of a gray predator acquires mystery and chilling significance for those who became an involuntary witness to this action. Proud, independent, strong and sadly lonely - all this is a wolf in the human imagination.
How does the howl start?
The wolf cub howls for the first time at the age of six months. And he continues to communicate in this way until his last days. Animals do this mainly from their lair. The leader always speaks first, then the she-wolf supports him, and then the whole pack joins in. There are several opinions trying to explain why wolves “howl at the moon.”
The wolf announces his needs
The first is exactly what was described above. That is, the howling has a communicative reason: changes in the pack, an announcement that the territory is occupied, or that the “gray” had to find himself in someone else’s territory. It could also be an invitation to hunt or a call for a partner.
Or maybe it's an eclipse?
Another opinion suggests that both wolves and dogs express their feelings in relation to lighting by howling. After all, these relatives have black and white vision, which is why it is easy for them to mistake the light of the moon for the light of the sun during a solar eclipse. And the reaction of animals to such a phenomenon is always the same - both wolves and dogs howl, scared.
And yet life is a hard thing!
But adherents of this opinion are not far from the legends about the lonely wanderer - the wolf, who notifies the world of his melancholy. Speaking about why wolves howl at the moon, researchers believe that animals notify others about their feelings, mostly negative: pain from injuries, loneliness, worries about a deceased partner. True, they claim that wolves howl as they sing, that is, they enjoy the process itself. And it is not surprising that at such a moment a hunter can easily get close to the “gray” one, because the soloist is so busy singing!
You need to howl with caution
In winter, lone wolves howl with their muzzles stuck in a snowdrift to deceive listeners. Then, because of the dull sound, it seems to future victims that the predator is far away, and they, without being frightened, continue their business. And the wolf, meanwhile, reports where he is now to his partners, or that there are rival hunters nearby with whom it is better not to intersect.
Why do dogs howl?
By the way, the wolf’s relatives, dogs, howl for almost the same reasons. This is how our pets express their sadness about the absence of their owners or try to explain that something hurts them. The most musically gifted even try to sing along in this way while the music is playing. And sometimes they “subtly hint” at their existence to the owners, who are in no hurry to pay sufficient attention to the pupils.
Well, today the veil has been lifted on the mysterious question: “Why do wolves howl at the moon?”?
For me, the howling of wolves at the moon has always been associated with freedom of will and spirit, but, at the same time, with deep loneliness. As children, we all believe and want to believe in various kinds of myths and fairy tales, but as we grow older, we understand that almost everything in this world, and especially the howling of wolves, is explainable from a scientific point of view.
Children's myths about wolves
Since childhood, I believed that wolves are the freest creatures living on this planet, that they are proud, lonely and free to do whatever they want. I saw loneliness in their howling at the moon and thought that this was how they expressed their sadness. But why was there this sadness in them? Whether from the frailty of existence, or from the losses of life, I did not know and could not know for sure, I was just fantasizing. But, unfortunately, it turned out that everything is much more explainable by scientific evidence and is not so mysterious and romantic.
Why do they howl or the answer of science
It turns out that wolves do not howl at the moon and not necessarily at night. This is just a picture instilled in us by Western films and media. mass media. In fact, wolves use their howls as a means of communication among themselves. It's just their language of communication. They can howl various reasons:
- The birth of new wolf cubs.
- Announcement or election of a leader.
- Communication with other members of the pack.
- Designation of territory.
The last point is very important, because it is the howl that helps wolves determine where the pack territories are located. For animals like wolves this is vital important question.
How do people use howling?
It turns out that in this way, with the help of howling, wolves inform each other about various events. However, people have learned to use the howling of wolves for their own selfish purposes. Hunters can use howls to trick a wolf into the open and finish the job without too much trouble. I may be surprised, but directors can also use the image of a howling in the middle of the night on full moon the leader of the pack as an excellent tool for attracting an audience. After all, people who believe in myths really like such scenes, they are simply mesmerizing.
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I always believed that wolves howl out of sadness and loneliness. The action turns out to be very mysterious, and the sound gives you goosebumps. It seems that the beast has some kind of mystical connection with the night luminary. People have come up with many legends and creepy tales to explain this behavior of wolves.
Wolves don't actually howl at the moon
According to one legend, the gods expelled the bloodthirsty leader of wolves from the earth, and now he is doomed to forever gnaw the lifeless stones of the moon and howl in anguish. On a clear, moonlit night, wolves can see their leader and howl back to him.
Howling is just a way of communicating at a distance. Wolves raise their heads upward for better sound distribution, so the howl sounds louder. Whether there is a moon in the sky at this time does not matter to the wolf. His voice can be heard at any time of the day, even during the day.
The fact that wolves howl at night is also easy to explain. The flock goes hunting in the dark. In the silence of the night, sounds travel much better than during the day. And in clear, cloudless weather, the howl can be heard at a distance of several kilometers. It is in this weather that the moon is clearly visible. This is where the well-known misconception arose. In fact, wolves howl regardless of the weather and time of day, people just don’t hear it.
What does a wolf howl mean?
With the help of a howl, the leader gathers wolves for hunting and coordinates the actions of the entire pack.
And it could also be:
- warning of danger;
- a signal to outsiders that the area is occupied;
- a message about the birth of a couple’s offspring;
- a simple “roll call” to determine where the wolf is.
Wolves can howl just for joy
Wolves find a mate once and for life. So, such “happy lovers” couples can howl in two voices just for their own pleasure.
A wolf howl is not always a harbinger of an attack or mystical sign troubles. Next time you hear it, listen more closely! Maybe this is a lovers' song!
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I really don't like it when wolves or dogs howl. Immediately I feel uncomfortable. We had a dog, appearance indistinguishable from a wolf, and she howled very often at night. To somehow understand what this was connected with, I had to re-read a mountain of literature. At the same time, I learned why not only dogs but also wolves howl.
What is the reason for howling wolves?
Having understood this issue, I realized that the following situations cause howling in wolves:
- death of the alpha male or cub (plaintive, yearning howl);
- loss of any individual from the flock on the road (inviting howl);
- invasion of rivals into their territory (aggressive howl);
- danger in the form of traps or hunters (warning howl);
- just bad mood.
By the way, wolves can howl either alone or as a whole pack.
All these types of howls have their own characteristic tonality, which their relatives immediately pick up and act as the situation requires.
What is the connection between the howling of wolves and the moon
As you can see, the moon is not involved in any of these situations. No, of course, she can hang in the sky during the wolf’s cry, and it may even seem that the wolf, howling, is looking at the moon. But there are several explanations for this:
- wolves are nocturnal animals, which is why they howl at night when the moon is at its zenith;
- it is more convenient to howl with your head up rather than with your muzzle buried in the ground;
- since it is dark at night, and the only object glowing in the sky is the moon, that’s why the wolf looks at it (although his thoughts are probably not about her at all).
Surely, some romantic, seeing such a picture, concluded that the howl of a wolf is associated specifically with the moon, and only sad songs are dedicated to it. Since then, such a stable opinion has emerged.
The only thing that is true is that wolves react to changes in lighting and eclipses. Therefore, when solar or moon eclipse, and the light changes, the animals begin to panic and howl.
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Wolves are amazing animals. Many of their habits have not yet been solved by scientists. I had a chance to see wolves both in zoos and in natural environment. Of course, in zoos you can see that wolves are constrained, and they do not like a well-fed life. These animals love freedom very much. I also like that there is not an ounce of cowardice in them, they are ready to go to the end!
Can wolves howl at the moon?
Myth, myth and more myth! Yes, the moon does not attract wolves. And they don’t howl specifically at her. Wolves are social animals and they communicate with each other. When these predators raise their heads up, they are not addressing the moon, but other wolves. They hunt mainly at night, and therefore the howl is heard mainly at this time.
Such a howl can mean different things: sometimes wolves signal that they have “found” prey, or the wolf is simply yearning.
I'll tell you a few facts about these animals:
- As a rule, these animals live in packs. Its number can be up to forty individuals. This “community” is headed by an alpha female and an alpha male, and the male does not have to be large.
- Wolves are very afraid of fire.
- Wolves are accustomed to choosing the least dangerous prey; they do not like to take risks.
- Average duration The life of an animal is ten years.
- The least likely people are attacked by wolves who live in America.
- They respond to movement, not sound.
- Without food, animals can remain active for up to ten days.
- The sense of smell in these mammals is a hundred times stronger than that of humans.
Where can you meet wolves
The habitat of these animals is quite diverse. You can meet them in Russia, and in Europe, and in Asia, and even in North America. The territory of our country is mainly inhabited by common and tundra wolves.
For the most part, wolves prefer to live in steppes and forest-steppes. They try to avoid dense forests. Although, for many this will sound strange, because from childhood we were taught that wolves live in forests. Here you can even remember the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood. But in life everything turns out differently.
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We often say the saying: “To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf,” but we never think about why wolves need to howl at all. Moreover, for a long time and zoologists did not know this. And only recently, scientists from Austria were able to solve the ancient and intriguing mystery of the chilling, but still, without a doubt, beautiful wolf howl…
Bloody lunch of the wolf pack
As we know, wolves sometimes tend to howl, which they do from time to time with pleasure. Moreover, many of those who live in rural areas or goes on expeditions, they periodically hear this howl, which, in my opinion, is simply beautiful. However, scientists still don’t really know why wolves sometimes need to give away their location to such in an original way. Although zoologists, of course, have some guesses on this matter.
I want to say right away that we're talking about and about the individual vocal exercises of each individual of the wolf pack and about the collective howl - when the whole “world” of wolves sing intricate melodies in unison. However, often both of these phenomena are superimposed on one another - as soon as some wolf starts a sad song, the whole pack immediately picks it up. But sometimes this does not happen - the “singer” can perform his roulades for half an hour in splendid isolation, and none of his comrades joins him. Why do wolves sing in chorus in some cases, but not in others?
Back in the middle of the last century, scientists suggested that wolves react to the absence of a dominant individual with a collective howl - in this way they try to call the leader. This version was confirmed by the observations of the Georgian zoologist-naturalist Jason Badridze, who lived for many years in wolf pack. In one of his articles, Yason Konstantinovich mentioned that after the death of the leader from old age, the entire flock howled harmoniously and piercingly for a long time (the leader went to die in a secluded corner, and, therefore, his comrades did not see the death itself). However, some zoologists disputed this statement, arguing that such a reaction could not have been to the disappearance of the leader itself, but to any stressful situation - that is, wolves howl simply to relieve stress.
And recently, scientists from the Center for the Study of Wolves (Austria) decided to put an end to the question of why wolves howl. Over the course of several years, researchers observed nine individuals Canis lupus, and the work began when these animals were only six weeks old. When the wolf cubs grew up, zoologists divided them into two groups, one of which had five wolves, and the other four. Gradually, the wolf cubs grew, and friendly and hierarchical connections began to form between them, that is, someone obeyed someone, someone preferred to play with someone, and someone led all their comrades. In other words, after some time two full-fledged wolf packs formed.
Next, the scientists began to give their charges very long walks, during which one of them was taken away from the pack. Moreover, such a “sampling” was carried out completely randomly - this was done so that such smart animals as wolves could not predict who exactly would leave them during a walk. And here’s what’s interesting: after 20-25 minutes, the flock, realizing that someone was missing, began to howl in unison. It is interesting that if the dominant disappeared, then it was quite difficult to understand who first started the howl; it seemed that the wolves began their song at the same time. Well, if one of the ordinary wolves disappeared, then his comrade would always act as the “ringleader,” and after some time the rest would pick up the calling song. Or they didn’t pick it up if the missing one didn’t get along with all the other members of the pack.
Thus, scientists realized that for wolves, howling serves as an expression of some kind of personal experience associated with social relationships. However, they still decided to test the so-called stress hypothesis. Zoologists measured the level of the stress hormone cortisol in wolves during the “disappearance” of the leader and ordinary members of the pack. As a result, it turned out that when the pack noticed the absence of a dominant, the level of cortisol in their saliva increased all the time. And in the absence of an ordinary relative, this did not happen, but the wolves still howled, sometimes with the whole pack. It turns out that howling is not at all standard reaction to any stressful situation - it is directly related to the disappearance of a comrade, regardless of what rank in the pack the missing person occupied.
Thus, we can say that wolves really howl in order to re-establish contact with someone who is very important to them - either a leader or a close friend. And, what’s most interesting, they often do this without regard to their pack mates and are not at all under stress. Well, if this is so, then the wolf howl cannot be considered unconditioned reflex- This is, to some extent, quite conscious behavior.
It is no secret that animals such as dogs and wolves howl at the moon. I wonder why they do this? Ignorance of the cause led to the appearance of legends and other mythical creatures. So why and why does the wolf howl at the moon?
Howling is not just a sound effect; it is primarily a way of communication between animals. Thanks to him, wolves exchange information with each other. When hunting, the animal signals its fellows by making drawn-out sounds. Or wolves like to howl together with their mate for pleasure.
In fact, there is a direct relationship between wolf howl and no moon. It just turns out that most sounds come precisely to moonlit nights. Why at this particular time? It is more convenient to hunt in moonlight. And the howling of the animals seems to say: “the situation is favorable.”
Animals howl not only in the wild, but also in connection with instincts in captivity. To make it easier for its brothers to understand where the sound is coming from, the animal’s muzzle is raised when it howls. Therefore, it seems as if the beast is howling at the moon. Hunting most often occurs at night, as wolves are most active at this time of day.
There are other points of view, disputes and discussions about which are still ongoing. Scientists and this moment cannot come to a general answer to the question.
When the wolf is about six months old, the animal begins to howl for the first time and does this throughout its life. The male usually starts the song first, and then the she-wolf picks it up. The whole flock responds to these sounds, which is why there is a terrible howl in the forest. Scientists also believe that the howl of a wolf is a reaction to different levels Sveta. Wolves see their surroundings in black and white, and they can’t tell the difference between shades. When it happens solar eclipse the wolves become aggressive as panic begins because of him. The light of the moon is something like this a natural phenomenon That's why animals howl. According to research, a relationship has been identified between the full moon and aggressive behavior wolves. At this time, the animal’s brain activity is at its highest, which makes the animal extremely dangerous.
There is also an opinion that howling is a way of conveying emotions such as melancholy, boredom, and fear. Or he calls for help in this way if he is injured. An exact answer to the question: why the animal howls at the moon has not yet been found. The opinions of scientists differ and it has not yet been possible to come to a definite answer. Although it would be interesting to know why the animal behaves this way.
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