Study: Canines Have Their Own Howling Dialect

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Do canines communicate through their own howling dialects?

Researchers analyzed over 2,000 howls from 13 species and subspecies of wolves, coyotes, etc. and were able to narrow the number down to 21 types of howls.

Their qualitative methods found different species use different patterns of howl types, similar to how humans speak in different languages across the globe.

"We found that different species and subspecies showed markedly different use of howl types, indicating that howl modulation is not arbitrary, but can be used to distinguish one population from another."

Researchers say some of the howls were noticeably different while others were only slightly different

"We believe that quantitative cross-species comparisons such as these can provide important understanding of the nature and use of communication in socially cooperative species, as well as support conservation and management of wolf populations."