Now you can see the world from the point of view of the wolf. This 3-minute video is the first collar film ever made from the perspective of a wild wolf.
The video was released by the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which studies wolves in the Greater Voyageurs ecosystem of Minnesota. The group caught a lone wolf, sedated him, put a collar on him and released him back into the wild.
The camera captured the wolf running in the woods, blushing a deer bone, stepping on a river, hunting fish caught near a beaver dam and more.
“What’s particularly fascinating is that this wolf (V089, a lone wolf) knew how to hunt and catch fish,” says the project. “He can be seen eating 3 different fish, which were all killed and eaten in the same place along the Ash River. Based on the time this wolf has spent in this place, it is clear that this wolf has killed more than 3 fish. ”
The camera collar was programmed to record 30 seconds of filming at the beginning of each hour of light. With 14 hours of natural light, a total of 7 minutes of videos were collected daily.
“7 minutes of filming a day is not so much,” the project writes. “Fortunately, I caught a few more neat things!”
The wolf was equipped with a Vectronic-Aerospace camera collar, which scientists use to study wildlife. Nikon and GoPro have sunk their toes into the dog camera market in the past, but none of these products have gained much traction.
In addition to learning a lesson for next time (that the wolf’s ruffled beard can block a good portion of the frame), the footage revealed interesting things about the wolf’s behavior.
“So far, we have only documented wolves in a single package (the Bowman Bay package) that hunted and killed fish in the same small creek,” the project writes. “However, this film clearly demonstrates that other wolves in our area know how to hunt fish and do so in different areas.
“This revelation – in addition to other information we found out in 2020 (i.e. we had another wolf from Paradise Pack that went fishing … more on that soon!) – offers a perspective on the genesis and the persistence of unique predatory behaviors in wolf populations! ”
You can find more photos and videos on YouTube and Instagram.
(through the Voyageurs Wolf Project through The Verge)