Arctic wolves are incredible animals that hunt and live together in packs. These extremely sociable animals prefer to spend most of their lives with each other, communicating by tail and ear gestures, howling, and scent. One pack was being filmed by a wildlife photographer when she caught this incredible scene on footage.
Arctic wolves can be dangerous, but this woman managed to get into a position where she was close enough to film them without being spotted. As she hid just 100 feet away from a group of three white, Arctic wolves, the nature photographer first just thought that she was capturing some footage of resting wolves. From her position, she had lined up a beautiful shot of the white wolves lying side by side in the white snow. The wolves had a busy day tracking prey and running it down, and the three pack-mates were laying peacefully.
At first, all three of the wolves are completely still. They are softly panting as they relax and stare off into the forest. Then the one in the back of the video lifts his head to the sky and starts howling. At first, his friends let him sing a solo, but then they join in. The sound of all of the wolves howling together is both beautiful and spine-chilling. Though they are majestic, it is easy to remember that these wolves could easily kill a human, and it is a bit scary thinking about how the wolves’ howling would sound if you were alone in the forest.
As soon as the big wolf in the back stops singing, his two pack mates also fall silent again. It is clear that he is the leader of the pack. Within just a few seconds, they are back to lying peacefully and quietly in the snow. Though no other wolves are heard in the area, their song has reached the other members of the wolf pack, allowing them to keep in touch even when they are far apart. The nature photographer has managed to capture a rare moment of relaxation and intimacy among members of this predatory pack of wolves.
Watch the video here to hear the wolves’ song for yourself. Does it sound creepy or beautiful to you?