New research shows that Canids howl in different "dialects"

A critically endangered Red Wolf howls. Photo Credit: United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

A recent study has used a computer analysis of 2,000 howls of wild and domestic canids to establish that different species have different "dialects". This is similar to previous findings in studies of cetaceans (dolphins and whales), showing that different species, subspecies, and even populations can have unique forms of vocal communication. (Also, apparently, if you play dolphin vocalizations slowed down about 30 times, they sound just like wolf howls)!

Intelligent and social species like wolves give us an opportunity to study the development of language in humans, as our closest living relatives (like chimpanzees) don't rely heavily on complex vocalizations to communicate.

Here are a few other neat ways this research can potentially be applied:

• To warn wolves to stay away from livestock areas using territorial howls, reducing conflict between wolves and ranchers
• To try to prevent interbreeding between reintroduced, critically endangered red wolves (Canis rufus) (only about 100 are living in the wild) and coyotes (Canis latrans), two species with very similar howl patterns
  

You can check out the paper in the journal Behavioral Processes, read a more thorough summary of findings at Science Daily, or learn a bit more about the awesome red wolf from the IUCN Redlist.