History Main / WolvesAlwaysHowlAtTheMoon

* In ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'' this is called the "Great Howl". At night, dogs (and wolves) sit in a circle and howl to [[AnimalReligion the Dog Spirits]].

* In a halloween special of ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', the mayor transforms into a werewolf and howls at the full moon.

* The "Pecos Bill" section of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/MelodyTime'' is used to "explain" this phenomenon in coyotes. [[spoiler:They are mourning along with Bill, who is lamenting his sweetheart Sluefoot Sue being stranded on the moon.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' has the move Howl, which is mainly learned by canine Pokémon and raises the user's Attack, and with the advent of 3D models in the main series, all such Pokémon actually go into a howling stance when using the move. It doesn't actually involve the moon, though.

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls story "Everything Must Go" (DC Comics, issue #48) has packs of wolves in Townsville howling at the moon. That's because the Amoeba Boys bought a lunar magnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale and is drawing the moon towards earth.

[[AC:Films (Animated)]]

[[AC:Films (Live Action)]]

--> "Strangers... in the nigh-" '''*bang*'''

[[AC:Literature]]

--> '''Gregory''': "That's a myth. Wolves don't howl at the moon."
--> (laughter)
--> '''Gregory''': "Why are they laughing?"
--> '''Rafael''': "What did you expect would happen when you said, 'We don't howl at the moon'?"

[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* ''{{Series/Dinosaurs}}'': Dinos howl at the moon. Howling Day is the day a male dino first gets to howl (''a la'' a Bar Mitzvah).
* Let's not forget about the episode "Tooth and Claw" in ''Series/DoctorWho''.

[[AC:Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''ComicStrip/PricklyCity'' when Winslow complains about how Earth has fewer moons than so many other planets, Carmen asks whether he would be howling all the time. Winslow tells her that such a cliche is shameful -- and yes, he would.

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* Averted in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest''.

[[AC:Web Original]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* WesternAnimation/{{Fangface}} was a werewolf who always howled at the moon when he turned.

* On the WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup cartoons featuring the coyote Ol' Bent Tail and his son, the two are usually introduced howling at the moon. One cartoon ends with Pluto joining them.

* According to ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'', howling is a compulsive behavior among timber wolves. If one howls, any wolf within earshot is impelled to howl along. Judy takes advantage of this to distract the timber wolves guarding an abandoned building so that she and Nick could sneak inside.

* The "Pecos Bill" section of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/MelodyTime'' is used to "explain" this phenomenon in coyotes.

->''Listen in awe and you'll hear him...''\\
''Bark at the moon''
-->--'''Music/OzzyOsbourne''', "Bark at the Moon"

* ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'': Judy exploits this to distract some wolf security guards by imitating a howl, which makes all the guards involuntarily join in. Justified, to an extent: not only do real wolves howl to inform competing packs where their territory is, but real wolves have to grow out of the tendency to respond to everything that sounds like a howl. And once they get started...

* On an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', the [[SpeciesSurname Wolfe]] family are seen howling at the moon from their rooftop. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Heffer joins them as a full-fledged member of the pack, even though he's a steer, and the elk dinner he was supposed to bring home consisted of soy-based elk substitute]].

* {{Fangface}} was a werewolf who always howled at the moon when he turned.

In almost any work of fiction that features wolves, {{werewolves}}, or coyotes, the canine beasts will almost always be showing howling to the moon at night. On occasion this trope is applied to domestic dogs as well as their wild counterparts.

* ThePowerpuffGirls story "Everything Must Go" (DC Comics, issue #48) has packs of wolves in Townsville howling at the moon. That's because the Amoeba Boys bought a lunar magnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale and is drawing the moon towards earth.

* Averted in ''Webcomic/ElfQuest''.

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ThePowerpuffGirls story "Everything Must Go" (DC Comics, issue #48) has packs of wolves in Townsville howling at the moon. That's because the Amoeba Boys bought a lunar magnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale and is drawing the moon towards earth.

* {{Pokemon}} has the move Howl, which is mainly learned by canine Pokémon and raises the user's Attack, and with the advent of 3D models in the main series, all such Pokémon actually go into a howling stance when using the move. It doesn't actually involve the moon, though.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'', where the were-rabbit howls at the moon doing a PrimalChestPound, making all the rabbits hearing it imitate him.

* The wolf characters from ''WolfsRain'' are actually invigorated during a full moon. It doesn't necessarily make them stronger or anything, but they feel tremendous joy and energy just seeing it in the sky. Joyous enough to want to howl at it.
* ''VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'' does the werewolf version, with the WolfMan howling in front of the full moon after he transforms. With a maw that grows from his ''[[BodyHorror stomach]]!''

* Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. Amaterasu howls a few times to summon the moon, and the 'sundown' animation involves a wolf howling. But she's more often seen howling at the ''sun'' because she's the sun goddess.

* Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. Amaterasu howls a few times to summon the moon, and the 'sundown' animation involves a wolf howling. But she's more often seen howling at the ''sun''.