A wolf has been captured on camera howling at a tree – with the unusual clip helping wildlife officials better understand how different animals communicate.
The ear-piercing wolf call was filmed by remote cameras in the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNPP) in the U.S. state of Alaska and has racked up over 4,300 views on Facebook.
The shrub in question is used as a scratching tool by local bears, with the national park monitoring the “bear-rub tree” with remote cameras for over a decade to “learn more about wildlife in the park”.
Ongoing research has helped wildlife officials establish that the tree is used as a “scent marking location” by different animals in the area for “communicating with others”.
In the footage, the wolf is seen standing at the base of the tree before raising its head and unleashing an almighty howl.
The animal then takes a short breath and prepares for a second rendition.
With its paws firmly planted in front of the tree, the wolf continues to howl like a dentist’s drill as the clip comes to an end.
Social media users have been left amazed, with many cracking jokes.
“The next American Idol!,” wrote one user.
“What da puppy doin?,” added someone else. [sic]
“That song, tho. So wonderful,” wrote a third user.
“…and my dog howls back to him all the way from Florida,” added a fourth person.
“Wow! Fantastic!,” wrote someone else.
“NPS (National Park Service) wildlife biologists have been monitoring this bear rub tree in Glacier Bay with remote cameras on and off for over 10 years to learn more about wildlife in the park,” GBNPP said last week.
“It turns out many animals of different species use this tree as a scent-marking location to communicate with others.”
GBNPP added that the video shows “a single wolf howling repeatedly near the base of a large tree that has worn bark from rubbing by bears”.
