Wolves from different geographic locations may howl in different fashions: the howls of European wolves are much more protracted and melodious than those of North American wolves, whose howls are louder and have a stronger emphasis on the first syllable. Lone wolves typically avoid howling in areas where other packs are present. When howling together, wolves harmonize rather than chorus on the same note, thus creating the illusion of there being more wolves than there actually are. When closing in on their prey, they emit a combination of a short bark and a howl. When pursuing prey, they emit a higher pitched howl, vibrating on two notes. Howls used for calling pack mates to a kill are long, smooth sounds similar to the beginning of the cry of a great horned owl. The pitch usually remains constant or varies smoothly, and may change direction as many as four or five times. Howling consists of a fundamental frequency that may lie between 150 and 780 Hz, and consists of up to 12 harmonically related overtones. Pups almost never howl, while yearling wolves produce howls ending in a series of dog-like yelps. Male wolves give voice through an octave, passing to a deep bass with a stress on " O", while females produce a modulated nasal baritone with stress on " U". Wolf howls are generally indistinguishable from those of large dogs. The phases of the moon have no effect on wolf vocalization, and despite popular belief, wolves do not howl at the Moon. Under certain conditions, wolf howls can be heard over areas of up to 130 km 2 (50 sq mi). Wolves howl to assemble the pack usually before and after hunts, to pass on an alarm particularly at a den site, to locate each other during a storm, while crossing unfamiliar territory, and to communicate across great distances. Long-distance contact calls are common in Canidae, typically in the form of either barks (termed "pulse trains") or howls (termed "long acoustic streams"). The long-distance howling of wolves and coyotes is one way in which canines communicate. Problems playing this file? See media help.
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