Wolves get clever with crab traps
New UVic research shows video evidence of a wolf pulling a crab trap to access bait, which suggests potential tool use.
image: A wild wolf on BC’s coast.
Credit: Heiltsuk First Nation and Kyle Artelle
Wild wolves living in Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) Territory on BC’s central coast have learned to pull crab traps out of the ocean—behaviour that represents the first documented case of potential tool use in the species, according to a new study.
The study, Potential Tool Use by Wolves (Canis lupus): Crab Trap Pulling in Haíɫzaqv Nation Territory, published in Ecology and Evolution, presents video evidence of a wolf retrieving a buoy, hauling in the trap line and pulling the fully submerged crab trap to access bait. The findings—co-authored by Paul Paquet, adjunct professor in the University of Victoria’s Department of Geography, and Kyle Artelle, assistant professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry—were prompted by repeated damage to traps set by Haíɫzaqv Guardians as part of their European Green Crab eradication program.
“Immediately on watching this, I knew something important was happening here. The video really speaks for itself—an incredible display from an incredibly intelligent species," says Paquet.
About the ‘Place of Wolves: Haíɫzaqv Wolf and Biodiversity Project’ (H2)
This research was produced as part of the “Place of Wolves: Haíɫzaqv Wolf and Biodiversity Project,” a collaboration between the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (HIRMD) and State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry (SUNY ESF), with support from the Woodland Park Zoo and Living with Wolves. The project studies the ecology, behaviour, and biocultural context of coastal wolves to inform conservation and governance in this territory and broadly. More information at Placeofwolves.ca.