Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Howling activity of free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) in the Białowieża Primeval Forest and the Western Beskidy Mountains (Poland)

  • Article
  • Published:
Journal of Ethology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We investigated spontaneous howling by radio-collared wolves Canis lupus inhabiting the Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF), eastern Poland, and elicited howling behavior in wolves of the BPF and the Western Beskidy Mountains, southern Poland. Over half (58%) of all spontaneous howls recorded throughout a year occurred in the period from July to October, with a peak in August. The daily pattern of vocal activity by wolves was characterised by a peak between 1800 and 0000 hours, which coincided with the first (dusk) peak of wolf mobility. Wolves howled from the core areas of their territories and not from the peripheries. Howls served as communication between temporarily separated pack mates (43% of cases), after re-union (18%) and before setting out for a hunt (22%). Very few spontaneous howls (2%) were targeted at a neighbouring pack. Wolves responded to human-simulated howling in June–September, with a peak in August (reply rate: 39%). The duration of elicited howling increased significantly with group size: howls by single wolves or pairs lasted, on average, 34–40 s, whereas those of five to seven wolves (including pups) had an average duration of 67–95 s, with a maximum length of nearly 4 min. In the populations of Polish wolves studied here, spontaneous howling served primarily for intra-pack communication. Nonetheless, the high reply rate to howling simulation showed that – if necessary – wolves readily advertised their presence in a territory to strangers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ciucci P, Boitani L (1999) Nine-year dynamics of a wolf pack in the Northern Apennines (Italy). Mammalia 63:377–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciucci P, Boitani L, Francisci F, Andreoli G (1997) Home range, activity and movements of a wolf pack in central Italy. J Zool 243:803–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekker D (1985) Response of wolves to simulated howling on a homesite in Jasper National Park during winter. Can Field-Nat 99:90–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Gazzola A, Avanzinelli E, Mauri L, Scandura M, Apollonio M (2002) Temporal variation of howling in South European wolf pack. Ital J Zool 69:157–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH (1986) Timber wolf howling playback studies: discrimination of pup from adult howls. Anim Behav 34:1575–1577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH (1987) Aggressive howling in wolves. Anim Behav 35:7–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH (1989) Chorus howling by wolves: acoustic structure, pack size, and the Beau Geste effect. Bioacoustics 2:117–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Asa CS (2003) Wolf communication. In: Mech LD, Boitani L (eds) Wolves. Behavior, ecology, and conservation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, pp 66–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Mech LD (1978a) Howling at two Minnesota wolf pack summer homesites. Can J Zool 56:2024–2028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Mech LD (1978b) Wolf vocalization. In: Hall RL, Sharp HS (eds) Wolf and man: evolution in parallel. Academic, New York, pp 109–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Mech LD (1979) Wolf howling and its role in territory maintenance. Behaviour 68:207–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Mech D (1982) An analysis of howling response parameters useful for wolf pack censusing. J Wildl Manage 46:686–693

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington FH, Mech LD (1983) Wolf pack spacing: howling as a territory-independent spacing mechanism in a territorial population. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 12:161–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henshaw RE, Stephenson RO (1974) Homing in the grey wolf (Canis lupus). J Mamm 55:234–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jędrzejewska B, Jędrzejewski W (1998) Predation in vertebrate communities. The Białowieża Primeval Forest as a case study. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jędrzejewski W, Schmidt K, Theuerkauf J, Jędrzejewska B, Okarma H (2001) Daily movements and territory use by radio-collared wolves (Canis lupus) in Białowieża Primeval Forest in Poland. Can J Zool 79:1993–2004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jędrzejewski W, Schmidt K, Theuerkauf J, Jędrzejewska B, Selva N, Zub K, Szymura L (2002) Kill rates and predation by wolves on ungulate populations in Białowieża Primeval Forest (Poland). Ecology 83:1341–1356

    Google Scholar 

  • Joslin PWB (1967) Movements and home site of timber wolves in Algonquin Park. Am Zool 7:279–288

    Google Scholar 

  • Mech LD (1966) The wolves of Isle Royale. US Fauna Series 7, Washington D.C.

  • Murrie A (1944) The wolves of Mount McKinley. US Fauna Series 5, Washington D.C.

  • Nikolskii AA, Frommolt K-H (1989) Zvukovaya aktivnost volka (in Russian). Izdatelstvo Moskovskogo Universiteta, Moscow

  • Nikolskii AA, Frommolt K-H, Bologov VP (1986) Prostranstvenno-vremennye osobennosti voya volkov v nachalnyi period osvoeniya shchenkami territorii (in Russian). Ekologiya 5:54–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowak S (2002) Population dynamics, ecology, and conservational issues of the wolf Canis lupus in the Beskid Śląski and Żywiecki Mts (in Polish). Unpublished PhD thesis, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences

  • Nowak S, Mysłajek RW, Jędrzejewska B (2005) Patterns of wolf Canis lupus predation on wild and domestic ungulates in the Western Carpathian Mountains (S Poland). Acta Theriol 50:263–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Theberge JB, Falls JB (1967) Howling as a means of communication in timber wolves. Am Zool 7:331–338

    Google Scholar 

  • Theuerkauf J, Jędrzejewski W (2002) Accuracy of radiotelemetry to estimate wolf activity and locations. J Wildl Manage 66:859–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theberge JB, Pimlott DH (1969) Observations of wolves at a rendezvous site in Algonquin Park. Can Field-Nat 83:122–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Theberge JB, Strickland DR (1978) Changes in wolf numbers, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Can Field-Nat 92:395–398

    Google Scholar 

  • Theuerkauf J, Jędrzejewski W, Schmidt K, Okarma H, Ruczyński I, Śnieżko S, Gula R (2003) Daily patterns and duration of wolf activity in the Białowieża Forest, Poland. J Mamm 84:243–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimen E (1976) On the regulation of pack size in wolves. Z Tierpsych 40:300–341

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zimen E, Boitani L (1975) Number and distribution of wolves in Italy. Z Saugetierk 40:102–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Zub K, Theuerkauf J, Jędrzejewski W, Jędrzejewska B, Schmidt K, Kowalczyk R (2003) Wolf pack territory marking in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (Poland). Behaviour 140:635–648

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The study was financed by the Polish State Committee for Scientific Research (grants 6 P04F 026 12 and 6 P04F 014 20), the budgets of Mammal Research Institute and Association for Nature “Wolf”, the European Natural Heritage Fund (Euronatur, Germany), the Wolf Society of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Wolf Conservation Trust. We are grateful to Dr Fred H. Harrington and an anonymous reviewer for their comments and to all the assistants and volunteers who helped us during the field work.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Jörn Theuerkauf

    Present address: Carpathian Wildlife Research Station, Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Ogrodowa 10, 38-700, Ustrzyki Dolne, Poland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Association for Nature “Wolf”, Twardorzeczka 229, 34-324, Lipowa, Poland

    Sabina Nowak & Robert W. Mysłajek

  2. Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland

    Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski, Krzysztof Schmidt, Jörn Theuerkauf & Bogumiła Jędrzejewska

Authors
  1. Sabina Nowak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Krzysztof Schmidt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jörn Theuerkauf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Robert W. Mysłajek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Bogumiła Jędrzejewska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bogumiła Jędrzejewska.

About this article

Cite this article

Nowak, S., Jędrzejewski, W., Schmidt, K. et al. Howling activity of free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) in the Białowieża Primeval Forest and the Western Beskidy Mountains (Poland). J Ethol 25, 231–237 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-006-0015-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-006-0015-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation