Tundra Song
In the High Arctic an alpha male arctic wolf begins to howl. He howls to locate and call in other pack members or perhaps just for the sheer joy of it. Social animals, wolves howl for other reasons as well. If a wolf pack hears the howling of a different pack in the distance, the pack will vocalize together, but each on a different pitch, making their pack sound larger.
The arctic wolf is a subspecies or geographic race of the gray or timber wolf. Their domain is the High Arctic tundra, north of 70 degrees to 75 degrees latitude. Rounded ears, white fur and shorter muzzles and legs are adaptations to life in a harsh environment.
Wolf packs have social hierarchy - each wolf has a place in a particular pecking order. The alpha male and female are at the top, and the omega is at the bottom. The pack often hunts together as a team. Wolves are loyal to their pack and have a close, extended family unit. Their diet is varied, ranging from lemmings to musk oxen.
The harshness of the High Arctic environment has left the arctic wolf relatively untouched by man.
- Terry Isaac