As we enter into the scary season of Halloween, wolves are often portrayed as ominous creatures of the night. Werewolves are a popular myth (or reality, depending on who you ask) that surfaces during this season of the living dead, supernatural creatures, and other dark auras that seem to peak our senses in a peculiar way. Images of wolves this time of the year are usually expressed in aggressive postures, especially snarling.

A snarling wolf, or one who has tightened their lips in a manner to expose their teeth, is surely a figure most people would wish to avoid. And rightly so, as this is exactly what the snarling wolf intends. A snarl among wolf facial postures is a display that could have several different motivations; however all possess a common theme: a greatly disturbed wolf.

The basis behind a snarl is to display the teeth, which in many species is known as a posture of threat or defense. Bears, large cats, and even some sharks are commonly known to perform a type of snarl when confronting potential danger. Wolves will snarl for both aggressive and defensive reasons. A dominant wolf may snarl toward a submissive wolf during an elevated dominance display, or a submissive wolf may snarl in return as a sign of defiance against a dominant wolf. The position of the lips and teeth are the same in both cases, however the eye and body position is much different.

A dominant or aggressive wolf has an elevated body posture with eyes staring directly at the submissive wolf, where a submissive wolf has a lowered body posture with an averted gaze. Yet, both aggressive and defensive snarls inform the counterpart that the snarling wolf is highly antagonized and is ready to become physically engaged with the other soon if necessary. While handling social captive wolves, this is a posture we obviously wish to avoid, while wild wolves will likely never exhibit such a posture toward humans. The only possible exception to this is if a human would surprise a wolf when near food. Wolves are highly defensive of their food and will growl and snarl at most anything that approaches it. Submissive wolves will even snarl at dominant wolves when food is present, which usually causes the dominant wolf to avoid the situation.

A snarl is commonly used by dogs in both aggressive and defensive scenarios just like wolves. Although a snarl appears dangerous, it is a posture that is actually meant to avoid a physical confrontation by serving as a final warning before attack. When wolves snarl they rarely become involved in aggressive encounters, hence the behavior serves as a communication tool rather than a sign of war.

Furthermore, snarling has no basis in predatory behavior, subsequently wolves never snarl at prey. So during this season of Samhain, always remember that a snarling wolf simply means to warn you---not necessarily eat you. A werewolf snarling, on the other paw, may mean something profoundly more evil, so BEWARE!

OTHER HALLOWEEN TRIVIA:
Did you know why wolves have a strong background in Halloween lore? There are many reasons wolves are connected to the powers of darkness, beginning with the Bible. In several passages the wolf is associated with the devil and demons, possibly due to livestock depredations at the time? Werewolf literature dates back to nearly the same time as the Bible, and wolf/human shape shifters are known in legends of most world cultures. The werewolf became popular again during the Bubonic Plague as wolves were occasionally seen leaving the mass graves by moonlight. The people of the time believed the dead were transforming into wolves (under a full moon of course) to leave the mortal world behind.

Finally, wolves have strong ties to vampires as well. A wolf is one of the shapes a vampire may assume (the other common shapes being mist and a bat), and the great Count Dracula adored wolves. The Prince of Darkness referred to them as the "Children of the Night" and ".what sweet music they make", he said of their howling. With such history, it is no wonder how wolves have become an iconic symbol of Halloween. I guess everyone, even the powers of darkness, have something to enjoy and celebrate about wolves.