Clever B.C. “Sea Wolves” Filmed Dragging Crab Traps Ashore — Possible Tool-Like Behavior

Researchers in coastal British Columbia captured striking footage of so‑called "sea wolves" using their teeth to haul crab trap floats and ropes to shore, then accessing and eating the bait intended to lure invasive green crabs. The discovery resolved a mystery that had been troubling the Heiltsuk First Nation near Bella Bella, where crews repeatedly found damaged or missing baited traps.

What the footage shows

The video shows a wolf swimming out to a surface float, gripping it with her jaws, towing it toward shore, and then pulling on the rope until the crab trap comes within reach. Once the trap is ashore, the wolf feeds on the bait inside.

"Our crews came in and said that, you know, something had been pulling our crab traps and taking the bait," said William Housty, director of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department in Bella Bella. "You normally picture a human being with two hands pulling a crab trap, but we couldn’t figure out exactly what had the ability to be able to do that until we put a camera up and saw, well, there’s other intelligent beings out there that are able to do this, which is very remarkable."

Why scientists find it remarkable

Researchers describe the sequence as sophisticated problem solving: the wolf appears to recognize that the floating buoy is attached to a rope and that pulling it in sequence will retrieve the trap. Kyle Artelle, an assistant professor in environmental biology, said the behavior is "the kind of behavior that is really familiar to us" — a stepwise solution to a goal — and could be considered tool‑like depending on definitions.

Scientists were surprised by the footage and its implications for understanding coastal wolf behavior and intelligence. The observation raises questions about how coastal predators interact with human gear, and how communities that set baited traps can adapt.

Practical impacts

The Heiltsuk community now faces the operational challenge of protecting baited traps from persistent wolves — a task William Housty described as a "daily chess game" between crews and the clever animals. Researchers and local managers are discussing ways to reduce conflict while continuing efforts to control invasive green crabs.

Significance: Beyond the local management problem, the footage adds to growing evidence that some coastal wolves have developed specialized behaviors to exploit marine resources. Whether this qualifies as tool use depends on how narrowly or broadly researchers define tools, but the behaviour clearly demonstrates advanced problem solving in a wild predator.