The Arctic Wolf: Moon Howling, Pack Hierarchy, and Other Myths
The Arctic Wolf : Canis lupus arctos
Characteristics: A medium-sized (around 3-6 feet in length) wolf characterized by its white fur
Habitat: Arctic Wolves live in the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland as well as the Arctic
Diet: Carnivores; Arctic Wolves prefer large prey such as Musk Oxen and Caribou. However, they will also prey on smaller mammals like lemmings, birds, and hares
Conservation: Least Concern
I love wolves. They embody all the adjectives I wanted to be growing up—fierce, vicious, beautiful, loyal, and fast. I think I got at least three out of the five—mainly due to my competitiveness in playing tag every day for four years in elementary school—but only BuzzFeed has confirmed that the wolf could actually be my spirit animal. Like the oceans, there's a mystery and magic to wolves. Magic, because they seem so everlasting, thriving in snow and ice like mystical guardians watching over frozen kingdoms. Wolves are mundane sights in our world (well, at least in mine), yet, they're held in the same regard as fantastical creatures such as phoenixes, vampires, sphinxes, etc.
Tons of werewolf lore have been handed down over the centuries, and besides serving as guilty-pleasure entertainment, these stories contribute to culture by emphasizing the enigmatic quality surrounding wolves. And no, this isn't turning into a discussion on Twilight or Teen Wolf or whatever werewolf-based novels are out there; I'm here to give you facts, not fanfic.
Wolves are a mystery for that exact reason (lore, not fanfic). How did the legends of werewolves begin? Why did so many gods and goddesses choose the wolf as their symbol? What other mythical events involve wolves? These stories often depict wolves as almost anthropomorphic, thinking and acting with the traits and emotions of humans. Taken from Percy Jackson, there are examples of the Capitoline Wolf and Artemisis's personal pack of wolves.
Of course, in 2023, it's more reasonable to think of wolves as just wolves, hunting and surviving like every other species. Although wolves may not have the secret lives of mythical power and responsibility that they've been depicted to have, there are still (perhaps more relevant) questions encircling their way of life. Why don't wolves solo life like tigers, leopards, and other apex predators? How does pack hierarchy work? Why do wolves howl?
For me, one of the most significant characteristics of wolves is their sense of community and loyalty. Species that can and choose to interact with other members of their family demonstrate emotional intelligence and complexity in their thinking. All 35 species of wolves live in packs. The Arctic Wolf differentiates itself as a subspecies of the Grey Wolf with its all-white fur, stockier body shape, and shorter legs and ears to adapt to the Arctic region's tundras. Here, Arctic Wolf packs consist of up to 20 members; an average pack includes five to seven wolves and has a hierarchical structure.
It's believed that the complex wolf hierarchy involves an alpha, beta, and omega, different levels of superiority where the alpha male and female rule as king and queen and are the only pair that can raise pups. Some reports have stated that pups born from non-dominant pairs have been killed or abandoned. However, recent research has suggested that this structure and behavior exist only in captivity. In the wild, packs generally include two parents and their pups, and only the parents can breed since breeding in the rest of the family would be incest. Perhaps wolf hierarchy isn't as complex as we once thought, but there's still a clear sense of community within these packs.
There's clear communication as well. Of course, I'm talking about howling, one of the most famed traits of wolves. Common belief tells us that wolves howl at the moon. However, this is yet another myth to be dispelled; no evidence links a connection between wolves and the moon. Wolves howl to communicate with their families and warn others away from their territories. These calls beckon pack members to a specific location for hunting or gathering. As opposed to barking or growling, howling provides long-distance communication—during the day and night. Arctic Wolves are active during both day and night, although they are generally diurnal. Some wolf species are more active at night, however, encouraging ideals of a special connection to the moon. There is none. Wolves howl 24/7 with no preference between light and dark.
I can't help but think this article ended up a little depressing. First, I started with a romantic description of wolves and their fascinating mythological origins. And then I switched and dispelled these myths, explained the facts, and basically erased every magical and mysterious element that made me want to write this in the first place. Werewolves don't exist, there's no special hierarchical structure, and wolves howl with no regard to the moon. Yeah...sorry to disappoint. But that seems to be the case with many things in life; we have an idea of something we want to be true and find that it's simply an idea, nothing more.
This may seem like this post's big "so what"; even though we may be disappointed with our findings, we always learn something new and interesting along the way! Right? Is this the theme? (I mean, all good articles have a theme, right?) I didn't set out to end with a philosophical moral-like conclusion. This writing simply reaffirmed my belief in the necessity of questioning. Right or wrong, we do find something new when we utilize questions. For me, here, I couldn't care less which way my questions and supposed answers fall.
Okay, so I guess that was still a lesson-learned-styled ending—or more like my lesson-learned ending. Whether your lesson learned was expanding your knowledge on Arctic Wolf behavior or confirming your dislike of teen love triangle drama, I hope you enjoyed this post and find your own questions to ask.
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