British Columbia Wolf Hauls Submerged Crab Trap for Bait in 3-Minute Footage
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 17
British Columbia Wolf Hauls Submerged Crab Trap for Bait in 3-Minute Footage
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 17
Summary
A female wolf was filmed on May 29, 2024 swimming to a buoy off British Columbia’s central coast, dragging a fully submerged crab trap ashore and tearing into it to reach herring and sea lion bait.
Underwater and motion-triggered cameras captured the sequence near Bella Bella in Heiltsuk territory while researchers were monitoring traps used against invasive European green crabs.
A November 2025 paper called the behavior “potential” tool use, with researchers split over whether exploiting a human-made rope-and-trap link meets the stricter biological definition.
The footage adds a new foraging method for coastal “sea wolves,” which earlier research found can get up to 90% of their diet from marine sources, but authors say one clear case is not enough to show a wider pattern.