Wise Wolf Learns to ‘Fish’
Wolves are at the top of the food chain, meaning they have no natural predators in the wild, and they are skilled hunters. However, even they apparently know how to level up their game when given the right opportunity.
Off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, in 2023, traps were being damaged after being set by members of the Heiltsuk Nation to control a non-native, invasive crab species. The traps are specially designed for the crabs and placed in shallow zones. Some of the traps are also dropped in deeper water, and the locations marked with brightly colored floats. The Indigenous community’s environmental wardens, called Guardians, suspected sea lions, seals or otters were to blame for the deep-water traps damaged with teeth marks.
Only after setting up cameras in the area did they catch a glimpse of the real CULPRIT: gray wolves! In May 2024, one of the cameras filmed a female wolf emerging from the water with a buoy attached to a crab trap line in her mouth. The wolf slowly pulled the line onto the beach until the crab trap emerged before she tore open the bottom netting and got herself
a snack.
“We couldn’t believe our eyes. It was serendipity that we actually captured this behavior. And it was, quite simply, inspiring,” said Kyle Artelle, an ecologist with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, who co-authored a study about the wily wolf. “You can see the efficiency with which she moves through the traps. This isn’t genetic. This is an entirely learned behavior, and learned very fast, and likely shared among the group.”
In many places wolves are seen as a nuisance and hunted by humans. However, the Indigenous community here has a different relationship with wolves. Artelle says that this distinct relationship raises questions about what else wolves can do and the unique landscape “is possibly one of the few places in the world where wolves can fully be wolves.”
Coastal Sea Wolf Facts:Penny History Facts
• A subspecies of gray wolf
• Canis lupus crassodon
• Lives in or near Vancouver, BC
• Strong swimmers
