Scientists have uncovered surprising evidence that humans living thousands of years ago may have kept wolves close by—long before dogs became our loyal companions.
The discovery comes from two ancient wolf remains found on Stora Karlsö, a tiny island in the Baltic Sea.
The findings suggest that people during the Stone Age and Bronze Age may have managed or cared for wolves in ways researchers never expected.
The wolf bones, dated between 3,000 and 5,000 years old, were unearthed in Stora Förvar cave, a well-known archaeological site.
This island is very small, only 2.5 square kilometres, and has no land mammals of its own.
Because wolves could not reach the island by themselves, they must have been brought there by humans, likely by boat.
The island was heavily used by seal hunters and fishers, meaning that humans lived there for long periods and likely had a steady supply of marine food.
Genetic testing showed that the two animals were true gray wolves, not early dogs. They had no sign of dog ancestry, which makes their presence even more surprising.
Yet, their bones revealed something unusual: their diet was similar to the people living on the island.
Chemical analysis showed the wolves ate a lot of marine protein, such as seals and fish—the same foods people were eating. This suggests they were being fed rather than hunting on their own.
The wolves were also smaller than typical wolves that lived on the mainland. One of them had extremely low genetic diversity, meaning its DNA looked like that of an isolated or possibly controlled population.
Scientists often see low genetic diversity in animals that are domesticated or bred in small groups. While this does not prove these wolves were tamed, it suggests they may have lived in a confined or managed environment.
Researchers were stunned by the discovery. Dr. Linus Girdland-Flink from the University of Aberdeen said it was unexpected to find wolves in such a remote place, especially since they could only have arrived with human help. Their diet, size, and genetic traits all point to a close relationship with the people who lived there.
Another surprising detail came from the skeleton of one Bronze Age wolf, which had a serious limb injury. The bone showed signs of long-term damage that would have made it difficult for the wolf to hunt or move normally. Despite this, the animal survived, which might mean humans were feeding or caring for it.
Scientists say these findings add a new layer to our understanding of how humans interacted with wild animals in ancient times.
Before this discovery, researchers believed early people mainly hunted wolves or kept their distance from them. Now, the evidence from Stora Karlsö suggests that some communities may have experimented with keeping wolves close, feeding them, or even managing them in small groups.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, does not claim these wolves were early attempts at domestication.
Instead, it highlights that human-wolf relationships in the past were more complex than previously thought.
These ancient wolves show that long before the first dogs appeared, humans were already forming unusual and sometimes caring connections with wild animals.
