You won’t believe what this wolf is up to! Forget everything you thought you knew about wolves and their hunting habits. In a remote corner of British Columbia, Canada, a wild wolf has been caught on camera engaging in some seriously sophisticated behavior, completely redefining our understanding of these creatures. This isn’t your average hunt; we’re talking about a wolf using crab traps!
This incredible footage, captured near Bella Bella in Heiltsuk indigenous territory, shows a wolf ( Canis lupus ) meticulously dragging a green crab trap from the water, all to get at the tasty bait inside. This behavior has been hailed as “the first known potential tool use in wild wolves.”
The discovery, which was detailed in the journal Ecology and Evolution, was quite accidental. Researchers, collaborating with the Heiltsuk First Nation, noticed that crab traps, submerged to eradicate invasive European green crabs, were mysteriously being dragged ashore and emptied of their bait. Since the traps were in deep water and never exposed during low tide, they knew a marine predator was responsible.
After setting up cameras in May 2024, the mystery was quickly solved. A female wolf was recorded swimming out, grabbing the buoy attached to a trap, and dragging it to shore. She then pulled in the line, and once the trap was on land, she chewed through the netting to access the bait.
As Kyle Artelle, an environmental biologist at the State University of New York, put it, “I couldn’t believe my eyes when we opened up that camera.” The researchers described the wolf’s actions as a “carefully choreographed sequence,” a far cry from a typical predator’s aggressive pursuit of food. Artelle further added, “This wolf showed up and she just saw a float and she knew the float was attached to a trap. She knew how to pull the trap up. She knew if she pulled the trap onto the beach, she could get food… Really intelligent, really incredible, sophisticated behavior.”
But here’s where it gets controversial… The researchers, including University of Victoria geography professor Paul Paquet, admit they don’t know how common this level of sophistication is among wild wolves. They suggest this particular wolf might have learned through trial and error, benefiting from a remote environment with less exposure to human danger, allowing for more experimentation. Could this be a sign of evolving intelligence, or is it an isolated incident?
What do you think? Do you believe this behavior is a sign of broader cognitive abilities in wolves? Share your thoughts in the comments below!