Tool‑using Wolf

In 2021, the Heiltsuk Nation in Canada set traps(陷阱) to catch European green crabs(螃蟹). The traps kept getting destroyed, and no one knew how. When scientists set up a camera to learn what was going on, they got a surprise: a clever wolf had used a series of steps to get food from the trap. The video may be first proof(证据) of a wolf using a tool.

The people of the Heiltsuk Nation set special traps to catch the crabs. The traps are round-framed nets with a cup of bait (诱饵) inside. The traps are set underwater, and their location is marked by a floating“buoy (浮标)”, which is tied to the trap with a rope.

The problem was that the traps kept getting destroyed. People were puzzled about what was destroying the traps.

In May, 2024, researchers set up a video camera on one of the traps to help them solve the mystery.

The next day, the camera showed the answer clearly: the thief was a wolf.

The video showed a female wolf swimming to the shore, using its teeth to pull the rope tied to the buoy. Once she was on shore, the wolf kept pulling the rope until the trap was in very shallow water.

Once the wolf could reach the trap, she tore open the net to get to the bait inside. The wolf ate the bait and then left. It all took less than three minutes.

Now scientists have written a paper about the wolf ’s actions. In their paper, the scientists say the wolf may have been using a “tool”. In the past, people thought that only humans used tools. But scientists have since learned that quite a few animals also use tools.