Vocal Communications

Vocal communication among canid species varies greatly, especially between the different social structures (Cohen & Fox, 1975). Its been found from experiments on many different species including wolves, African wild dogs, foxes, coyotes, singing dogs and dingoes, that there are 12 various sounds (Cohen & Fox, 1975). These are whines, yips, hows, growls, clicks, yelps, screams, barks, coughs, coos, mews and grunts. Depending on species, these sounds may vary in time, pitch and frequency (Cohen & Fox, 1975). 66

Wolves howling
http://animaljam.wikia.com/wiki/File:Predators-forest-wolves
-howl-wolf-animals.jpg accessed 4/4

The same sound emitted by different species can mean different things. For example foxes only bark when there is a threat and scream as a greeting whereas domestic dogs bark for many reasons and growl for  a threat (Cohen & Fox, 1975). Domestic dogs are also the only species to yelp (Cohen & Fox, 1975). This is a shorter whine used for greeting (Cohen & Fox, 1975). This sound is seen to be analogous to the yip of coyotes and screams of the foxes (Cohen & Fox, 1975). Certain groups such as the Vulpines or foxes produced higher pitch sounds such as screams and were the only species to coo (Cohen & Fox, 1975). A coo is a trilly, cackle sound witch at the moment doesn't have a known meaning. The foxes also displayed minimal social sounds due to general lack of sociability (Cohen & Fox, 1975). The Canines, generally the wolves and more dog like species, produced lower sounds such as coos and guttural vocalizations (Cohen & Fox, 1975). The high pitched yipping sounds were only made by the coyotes and jackals. 129

Mixing off these sounds is used in more complicated emotional portrayal in generally the more social canids (Cohen & Fox, 1975). 'Yowling' a combination of the yelp and bark is seen in domestic dogs (Robbins, 2000). This is a social sound analogous of the wolves group howl (Robbins, 2000). Other extremely social species, such as the African wild dogs, have been known to mix many sounds creating sounds unique to them such as twitters and rumbles (Robbins, 2000). The African wild dogs also have such a range of barks that almost rivals the domesticated dogs,  thus showing the extent social structures effect vocalization variability (Robbins, 2000).

(Cohen & Fox, 1975)
Cohen. J.A, Fox. M.W, 1975, Vocalisations in wild canids and possible effects of domestication, Behavioural Processes, Vol.1(1), 77-92
Robbins. R.L. 2000, Vocal communication in free ranging Afriacn wild dog (Lycaon pictus), Behaviour, 137, 1271-1298