# Potential Tool Use by Wolves (Canis lupus): Crab Trap Pulling in Haíɫzaqv Nation Territory

## TL;DR

Wolves in Haíɫzaqv Nation territory were observed pulling crab traps from water, suggesting advanced cognitive abilities.

## Contribution

This study provides empirical evidence of sophisticated tool use in wild wolves, expanding understanding of canid cognition.

## Key findings

- A wolf was recorded pulling a submerged crab trap onto land using its buoy and line.
- The behavior suggests an understanding of trap mechanics and problem-solving abilities.
- The observation raises questions about the origins and context of such complex behaviors in wild canids.

## Abstract

The cognitive abilities of canids are increasingly recognized, though insights from noncaptive populations are comparatively rare. Recently, recurring damage to crab traps used by Haíɫzaqv Nation Guardians to control a European Green Crab invasion was investigated with remote cameras. A wolf was recorded emerging from the water carrying a crab trap buoy, then sequentially pulling the attached line up the beach until an initially submerged trap emerged from the water. The wolf then extracted the bait cup from within and consumed the bait. The recorded behavior, combined with similarly extracted and damaged traps nearby, suggests a sophisticated understanding of the trap and sophisticated cognition more broadly. This observation raises questions about the context and origins of the behavior and prompts consideration of our relationship with this cognitively complex species.

Recently, recurring damage to crab traps used by Haíɫzaqv Nation Guardians to control a European Green Crab invasion was investigated with remote cameras. A wolf was recorded emerging from the water carrying a crab trap buoy, then sequentially pulling the attached line up the beach until the initially submerged trap emerged from the water, with the wolf then removing the bait from within. The capacity for this sophisticated behavior reveals insights into canid cognition while raising questions about how the preconditions for such behaviors arise in this and other populations and species.