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Wolves on the Katmai coast hunt sea otters and harbor seals

A white wolf carries a sea otter. — This wolf was captured by a remote camera at Swikshak Bay in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Hunting habits of bears and wolves were documented between September 2019 and June 2021 along the coast.

In a newly published paper, NPS biologist Kelsey Griffin, and her co-authors describe first-hand observations of coastal wolves hunting and killing a sea otter and a harbor seal in Katmai National Park. Coastal wolves have been documented consuming marine-based prey, but these observations show how wolves successfully hunt sea otters and harbor seals. One observation involved a single wolf attacking and killing a harbor seal in an intertidal area and the other a partial-pack hunt at an exposed offshore island during low tide. Wolf activity captured on timelapse camera indicated wolves visited the offshore island frequently during low tides where hauled-out sea otters were vulnerable. These initial observations have set the stage for continued work to discover the extent of sea otters and other marine-based prey in coastal wolf diets in Katmai and other coastal national parks.

Griffin, K. R., G. H. Roffler, and E. M. Dymit. 2023. Wolves on the Katmai coast hunt sea otters and harbor seals. Ecology e4185.

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Katmai National Park & Preserve
Brown bear-sea otter interactions
Read the abstract and link to an article about coastal brown bears and sea otters in Katmai Naitonal Park and Preserve: Monson, D. H., R. L. Taylor, G. V. Hilderbrand, J. A. Erlenbach, H. A. Coletti, K. A. Kloecker, G. G. Esslinger, and J. L. Bodkin. 2022. Brown bear-sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation. Journal of Mammalogy pp. 1-13.