Tucked along the rugged coastlines from Alaska to British Columbia lives a rare and elusive population of sea wolves.

These wolves are genetically distinct from their inland cousins. They’re smaller in size, powerful swimmers, and get more than 75% of their diet from the sea — feasting on everything from salmon and seals to shellfish, kelp, and even the odd whale carcass.

How cool would it be to be a sea wolf scientist? Well, it’s not all that glamorous.

With respect for Indigenous protections, these wolves can’t be tagged. So how do you study a shy marine predator you can’t track? You follow the poop.

Coastal wolf scat reveals everything from diet (bones, hair, shells) to genetics, hormones, bacteria, and parasites. It even helps map habitat ranges — think of each poop like a GPS point on a map. The DNA extracted from their scat was even able to confirm that these wolves are indeed genetically distinct.

Who knew you could get so much info from poop!

Video by Paul Nicklen