Ever heard of sea wolves? They fish and then eat the brains of their prey
2025. January 27 - Photos: Getty Images Hungary
2025. January 27 - Photos: Getty Images Hungary
The Vancouver Coastal Sea Wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf that lives exclusively on Vancouver Island, Canada. It is also known as the coastal or sea wolf. There is nothing special about them, but their habitat has made them uniquely semi-aquatic and their diet is almost exclusively fish-based.
The first theory that these wolves were unique was made in the 1930s when zoologist Ian McTaggart-Cowan discovered them. However, it was not until 1998 that more serious research on them began. However, it is very important to stress that the existence of these animals was by no means a novelty to the indigenous peoples of the coast, who mentioned them in their earliest ancestral histories. Now let’s see why sea wolves are mind-boggling!
Wolves on Vancouver Island range from southern Alaska to the coast of British Columbia (Canadian province), including the Great Bear Rainforest. Hence the evolution of one of the defining characteristics of the species, the ability to swim. To move between islands, they may have to swim up to 12 kilometres (around 7,46 miles) to reach land again. It has been observed that such movements are often seasonal, for example when they follow the migration of salmon, one of their favourite foods.
Their diet is quite varied, but 75-90% comes from the ocean, a quarter of which is salmon. But what is even more shocking is that they don’t even bother to eat the pink fish meat, they only eat the fish brains. Researchers think it’s probably to avoid eating the bacterial infection known as salmon poisoning which can be fatal to canids. Well, if you weren’t a wolf fan before, you probably are now. Simply fantastic! We’ll even forgive them the waste. Local residents have observed that they are actually much smarter than even bears, for example, who eat the whole fish, so they often struggle with tapeworms and various diseases caused by raw meat.
Along the coasts, however, they are also keen to search for shells and crabs. They dig up the sand with their diligent paws and crush shell of their prey with their powerful jaws. They also pick up everything left behind by the tide, including snails, octopuses and even whale carcasses. However, to prove they are real gourmets, they also actively prey on coastal mammals such as otters and seals. When they are looking for a land-based source of protein, they often prey on British Columbia mule deer or elk.
In order to study these fantastic animals, scientists need to work with indigenous people, known as knowledge keepers. For them, wolves are family members and have a special place in their culture. Researchers must respect these animals, so capturing or tagging is not allowed. Fortunately, however, these animals leave plenty of traces: poo. Lots of poo! Paul Paquet is a senior wolf expert and chief scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. It is a non-profit organisation that has been researching the lands, waters and wildlife of British Columbia’s coastal areas since 1990 in an effort to protect them.
Heather Bryan, a former student of Paquet’s who is now a professor of ecosystem science at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, recalls one of her first tasks as a wolf researcher: “The first thing you have to do is put [the excrement] in the oven and bake it for a couple of hours.” The heat kills parasites and harmful bacteria, so the team can work with sterile samples. Bryan recalls to Canadian Geographic that he once sat in class while his classmates snooped around because a strange, warm aroma began to fill the room. The smell of roasting excrement permeated the entire biology building without him noticing.
Today, more than a decade and 7,000 faecal samples later, scientists have a much clearer picture of wolf ecology and physiology. The droppings revealed information about the wolves’ genetics, their hormone levels, and the parasites and bacteria they harbour. And, the information from the DNA analysis is consistent with the observation by Chester “Lone Wolf” Starr, Heiltsuk’s elder and many of his scientific mentors, that sea wolves are indeed genetically distinct.
Sea wolves face 3 particularly significant threats: industrial logging, climate change and trophy hunting. But there is also very good news, which shows the power of conservation through indigenous land management. Today, wolves are largely safe from the threats of logging and hunting in the Heiltsuk area. This is because 55% of the area is protected and the rest is under ecosystem management; only 11% is open to industry. In partnership with indigenous coastal communities, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation has developed an effective campaign to stop hunting.
The organization has been raising funds since 2005 when it began buying up all remaining commercial hunting permits in the Great Bear Rainforest and the Kitlope nature reserve. As a result, trophy hunting in the 38,800 square kilometres of the Great Bear Rainforest has been permanently closed. The progress of these measures is also due to the presence of a sea wolf called Takaya. The plight of these animals came to international attention when the life of Takaya, who lived in solitude, was documented in Takaya: Lone Wolf, a 2019 documentary and then shot by a hunter on 24 March 2020. Their death has sparked calls from the local and international community for changes to wolf hunting laws in British Columbia.
There are several dog breeds that have wolf ancestry. Probably the newest and most controversial one is the Blue Bay Shepherd.
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