Salmon-Eating Wolves Are One of a Kind
Unique coastal wolves range from Southern Alaska to Vancouver Island. Their fur has a red tint and their diet includes salmon, beached whales, and seals.
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A recent Raincoast Conservation Foundation research study in British Columbia has shown there are significant differences between gray wolves and the coastal variety. Chris Darimont from UC-Santa Cruz has a doctorate in wolf ecology and was one of the researchers studying the unique wolves for the last five years. “They are truly island wolves. They swim between foraging patches on islands, such as in the Broken Group or Clayoquot Sound. We are saying, tongue-in-cheek, that this is our newest marine mammal,” stated Darimont. On the coast and neighboring islands there are only small deer to provide meat, so they adapted to using seafood in their diets. On the islands furthest away from the mainland, 75% of their food intake comes from the sea.
It has been estimated that there are perhaps several thousand of them, but no official count has been conducted. Like many species the world over they are threatened by habitat loss. Declining salmon populations also affect their stability. Unfortunately the mindset which sees them as trophies for hunting persists in some people, so wolves are killed essentially for vanity purposes. There are no hunting permits required to kill them, but there is a limit of three annually per hunter. Trappers reportedly can kill as many as they want because the wolf’s status is defined as a game animal and furbearer.
Image Credit, Raincoast Conservation
When we realize that farmed Salmon is fed red dye to keep them red looking because normally farmed Salmon has a gray shade outward appearance. Is it possible the reddish Salmon might transfer their color?
Sweet Jesus, did nobody read what he said? “We are saying, tongue-in-cheek, that this is our newest marine mammal,” Tongue-in-cheek! He’s just saying this is a mammal that swims alot!
My German Shepherd eats salmon. BFD!!
wow! there are some really dim bulbs ’round here. i’m pretty sure that, to understand this article, one must first READ it. jeez, people.
Before everyone jumps in at the deep end with conjecture about new “endangered” species, it must be pointed out that to be a species it will have to be shown that this variety cannot interbreed with the grey wolf, or the offspring of such a mating are themselves sterile. At best this will be a sub-species, but more probably a tribe; i.e. a sub-population sharing a common genetic trait.
The coastal wolf has genetic differences. It’s not a tribe.
Coral Harbour a small coomunity (on an island) in Nunavut saw one hunter see about a dozen wolves stalking seals basking on the ice, this was new to him to him they looked like people on the ice but on closer inspection he saw wolves, he did find seal holes with dead kill/s this was on CBC Radion One
Mobius, are you the only one who can read? thank you!
The rest of you, just enjoy the pretty colors.
Wow I can’t believe we know so little about these wolves yet people still insist on wearing them.
thank you mobius…and doesn’t it seem feasible that the wolf’s coat could turn pink because of the salmon? salmon themselves are pink because of the krill they eat, so it doesn’t seem a stretch that some of those pigments have a role in wolf coat color…perhaps?