Wolves have a very varied and complex communication system. To us, who are used to a more vocal language, it is hard to understand the extent of this. Wolves communicate through postures, looks, glances, a growl, howling, whimpers, whines, and barking. Most of the time a subtle movement of the body, or a glance is all that is needed to get across what is needed, especially when asserting dominance over another. They don�t often have to demonstrate their strength and dominance, but it is usually understood that they could if it came to that. Showing direct eye contact, which is seen to be aggressive, could show this.

You can usually tell which members of the pack are the highest ranking in the hierarchy by how erect the tail is in the air. The higher the tail is, the higher the rank. This is why you see the alpha male or female with tails high in the air, and the others wolves tails lower.

The howl, for which the wolves are most famous, is one of the most important communication systems, and is used for many reasons. The howl, unlike common myth is not to the moon, but to the others in the pack. The howl is used to call and locate members of the pack. It is also a social expression and a greeting. It is used to define their territory, but also because they like doing it. There is also evidence to suggest that only some members of the pack are allowed to join in the howl sometimes, as the others have attacked lower ranking members of certain packs when it tried to join in. This disfavored member could have brought this on if it had caused the leaders aggravation earlier on in the day.