Pictures capture wolf fall through ice on Isle Royale

ISLE ROYALE, Mich. (WLUC) - Researchers at Michigan Technological University caught the moment a wolf fell through the ice on Lake Superior.

Rolf Peterson and Michigan Tech’s Wolf Moose Research Team are currently doing their Winter Study on Isle Royale. Part of the research includes flying over Isle Royale to survey the island.

On Saturday, January 28, Rolf Peterson saw a wolf traveling by itself on Isle Royale in subzero temperatures.

The pictures show the wolf break a small hole in thin ice to get a drink. The ice formed the night before, and was just over a half inch thick.

Credit: Rolf Peterson and Michigan Technological University(WLUC)

Here the wolf is seen leaving the ice where it fell through.

Peterson explains that the ruffled fur indicates the wolf was well-submerged except for its head and back.

Next, the wolf generated some body heat and ran up and down the shore.

After 5 minutes of energetic activity, the wolf lay down on the harbor in full sun and out of the wind. It then started to clean the ice out of its fur.

Earlier in the year, researchers said that Isle Royale National Park’s gray wolf population has reached 28, a dramatic comeback after the species nearly disappeared from the Lake Superior island chain.