University of Rhode Island PhD student Patrick Bailey recorded gray wolves hunting sea otters on an Alaskan island, a behavior not previously documented for this population. Using trail cameras plus dental wear and isotope analyses, Bailey and CEAL Lab professor Sarah Kienle are investigating how often wolves take marine prey and whether coastal wolves show distinct hunting adaptations. The findings could reveal stronger links between land and sea food webs and reflect changes in otter populations or resumed ancestral behavior.
Footage Shows Gray Wolves Hunting Sea Otters on Alaskan Island — Surprising Coastal Behavior
University of Rhode Island PhD student Patrick Bailey recorded gray wolves hunting sea otters on an Alaskan island, a behavior not previously documented for this population. Using trail cameras plus dental wear and isotope analyses, Bailey and CEAL Lab professor Sarah Kienle are investigating how often wolves take marine prey and whether coastal wolves show distinct hunting adaptations. The findings could reveal stronger links between land and sea food webs and reflect changes in otter populations or resumed ancestral behavior.
10:15 AM, 11/10/2025Environment
Wolves on the coast: new footage suggests they are hunting sea otters
A researcher at the University of Rhode Island has captured trail-camera footage showing gray wolves preying on sea otters on an Alaskan island, a behavior not previously documented in this population.
PhD student Patrick Bailey recorded images that indicate wolves are targeting sea otters — a prey item researchers did not expect. The observation raises new questions about how frequently this occurs, whether it reflects a recent shift in wolf behavior, and what it means for connections between terrestrial and marine food webs.
Wolves are well known as apex predators on land, where they regulate prey populations and shape ecosystems. Their foraging and hunting along shorelines, however, are poorly understood. Sea otters were once driven to near-extinction by the fur trade along the North American west coast; conservation efforts have helped many populations recover, though otters remain threatened or endangered in some regions.
Researchers say the appearance of otters in wolves' diets may indicate that otter populations have rebounded enough to register as viable prey, or that wolves are resuming an ancestral coastal foraging strategy.
Bailey and colleagues are combining trail-camera imagery with dental wear and isotope analyses to build a clearer picture of coastal wolf diets and hunting techniques. "We don't have a clear understanding of the connections between water and land food webs, but we suspect that they are much more prevalent than previously understood," Bailey said.
"Capturing and eating prey in the marine environment is very different from doing it on land," said Sarah Kienle, a professor in URI's CEAL Lab. "We are super curious to see if these coastal wolves have behavioral adaptations that differ from terrestrial wolves."
The team plans to deploy higher-resolution cameras and continue student-led analysis of images and dental data to document precisely how wolves capture otters and whether similar predation extends to other marine species. Their work aims to clarify how terrestrial predators might influence coastal and marine ecosystems through previously overlooked pathways.