Calls of the Wild—Why Do Animals (Including Your Dog) Howl?
Some canines, monkeys, and yes, even mice communicate and defend their territories by howling, experts say.
When someone asked me recently "Why do wolves howl?" my first thought was, "Wouldn't you, if you could?"
As far as calls of the wild go, howling is among the most mesmerizing—but not many animals do it. For this Saturday's Weird Animal Question of the Week, we thought we'd listen in to the howling creatures of the world.
The most famous howler is probably the wolf. These predators also have a method to their melody—there are three reasons wolves howl, according to Doug Smith, senior wildlife biologist at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (See "Wolves Identified by Unique Howls, May Help Rare Species.")
One is "to communicate to other wolves that this is their territory, or stay away," he
