Unexpected Creative Tool Use By a Wild Wolf to Catch Crabs

"We now know that a wide variety of animals use tools, and some surprises are among them. Examples involving invertebrates, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals show different levels of sophistication and complexity, and a recent example of highly intelligent wild wolves using a tool expands the biodiversity of such use to a wider array of nonhumans. Domestic dogs, which evolved from a common wolf ancestor, also use tools; it's not surprising to learn that their wild relatives do as well."

"While the researchers didn't expect to see tool behavior because other researchers and non-researchers who had spent countless hours watching wild wolves hadn't reported or filmed anything like it, we now know wolves are genuine members of the 'nonhuman tool behavior arena.' When Jane Goodall first reported a wild chimpanzee using a tool, there was no shortage of skeptics who questioned her observations. They were silenced when she showed them films of David Greybeard engaging in tool behavior. Today, we have filmed evidence of wild wolves."

"Some months ago, Drs. Kyle Artelle and Paul Paquet contacted me about their observations of wild wolves figuring out how to use a rope to pull a submerged trap containing crabs through water. I encouraged them to write up their observations for publication in a professional journal. The resulting open-access scientific report, accompanied by videos published in the journal Ecology and Evolution titled "Potential Tool Use by Wolves ( Canis lupus): Crab Trap Pulling in Haíɫzaqv Nation Territory," is a most welcome addition to the literature on animal tool behavior. Future research"

Field observations reveal that luck, serendipity, and persistence are essential for documenting unexpected animal behaviors. A wide variety of animals, including invertebrates, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals, exhibit tool use at different levels of sophistication. Wild wolves have been documented manipulating a rope to pull a submerged crab trap, demonstrating genuine tool-like behavior and expanding the range of nonhuman species known to use tools. Domestic dogs' evolutionary relationship to wolves aligns with these findings. Filmed evidence has helped overcome earlier skepticism, and continued patient, attentive fieldwork increases the chance of uncovering similar surprises.

Read at Psychology Today