Thursday, March 05, 2015

Scientists Need Your Help to Decode the Secret Language of Wolves

Dogs bark, wolves howl, and coyotes yelp—but what are they saying? Researchers who are asking that question need your help. The answer could benefit the conservation of several species related to your household pooch. Welcome to the world of canine crowdsourcing. The Candid Howl Project, an international collaboration of biologists, behaviorists, sound experts and others is encouraging people to analyze thousands of recordings of dogs, dingoes, coyotes and wolves in the safety of their own homes. The nonprofit International Wolf Center recently asked its nearly 70,000 Facebook followers to volunteer. The information gathered will provide clues to the meaning of each type of howl, such as defense of territory or preparation for hunting. The research might benefit endangered gray wolves, common targets of ranchers. “We are hoping…to identify clear differences between howls of different ‘meanings,’ ” Arik Kershenbaum of the University of Cambridge and the project’s creator, said in an email...more



This whole thing is a Howler, especially when all they have to do is contact Laura Schneberger.  She can tell them what wolf advocates sound like too.


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