A gray wolf has been caught on camera in Canada showing a remarkable understanding of how a human-set green crab trap works, and using that knowledge to extract a tasty snack for itself.
It is the first time that researchers have observed any member of the canid species outside of captivity exhibiting behaviour akin to tool use. If the behaviour proves to be more than just a fluke, this discovery would put gray wolves amongst the select ranks of non-human species that have learned to use tools, such as the chimpanzee.
- 11 animals that use tools in surprising and clever ways – including a few you may not expect
- Wolf vs dog: what's the difference between man's best friend and its wild cousin?
The surprising discovery came about due to the actions of the native Haíɫzaqv people who have lived along the British Columbia coastline for more than 14,000 years.
European green crabs are a highly invasive species along that coast, transported to the Canadian environment in the ballast of ships. They feed on shellfish, other crabs and invertebrates and outcompete native crabs for food and living space. They also cause extensive damage to eelgrass beds, critical habitat for many species of marine invertebrates and fish fry, including Pacific herring and Pacific salmon.
- Can dogs crossbreed with wolves?
- On the brink of extinction: The 10 rarest dogs in the world, from the beautiful Ethiopian wolf to the bizarre aquatic bush dog
The Haíɫzaqv Coastal Guardians have recently begun to wage war on the undesirable green crabs by setting baited traps attached by line to a floating buoy. These white and red markers show where the traps have been lowered into the shallow waters where the crabs congregate. It is the bait inside an orange plastic box hanging in these conical mesh traps that has attracted the attention of the wolves.
Whether they have observed a Haíɫzaqv Guardian setting or retrieving the mesh cages, or they have come across the traps beached when the tide is out, is not known. But however they came by the knowledge, they have taken a giant cognitive leap in calculating how to turn what they have observed to their advantage.
Having discovered a number of damaged traps hauled out on the shingle, the Guardians set about finding out who or what was interfering with the crab capture. They installed a series of remote cameras and were rewarded with remarkable footage of a female gray wolf swimming out to a buoy, pulling it towards the shore and then grasping the attached rope in her mouth to bring in the trap. On at least one occasion she had to change her position on the rope to get the trap fully onto land. She then ripped into the netting, extracted the bait box and ate the bait.
Understanding that the buoy was attached to a rope and the rope to a netted trap containing a plastic box full of something edible, and then employing a multi-step strategy to get at that food, is not something that could happen by accident.
It displays a level of sophistication not previously appreciated in gray wolves and has kicked off a re-evaluation of a species that has been viewed quite negatively in the past. Continued monitoring by the Haíɫzaqv Guardian Program, that conducts environmental research in the area year-round, will hopefully, over time, clarify the picture of the intelligence of gray wolves.
- What is the biggest wolf in the world? Meet the deadly canine apex predator - as well as its domestic rivals
- Coyote vs wolf: what's the difference between these two beautiful and charismatic canids that thrive in North America?
- The 10 deadliest dogs on Earth: Discover the world's most ferocious and savage wild canine hunters
- 10 fearsome prehistoric dogs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago: Are these the deadliest canine hunters of all time?
