Camera footage of a fox attacking a wolf cub for the first time
Scientists for the first time recorded on video a rare event in the wild - a red fox attacked a wolf cub right at the entrance to the den. The unusual episode was captured with a camera trap in the nature reserve Castelporziano near Rome in Italy.
Why this surprised scientists
In nature, wolves are considered apex predators that usually dominate smaller carnivorous animals.
Therefore, the fox attack on the wolf cub came as a surprise to the researchers. Previously, cases of a fox attacking a wolf cub had hardly ever been recorded, much less on video.
What happened
The incident took place in May 2025, when researchers from the University of Sassari were studying the reproduction and behaviour of wolves in the reserve.
To monitor the den, the scientists installed five cameras with motion sensors.
One of them, placed near the entrance to the den, suddenly recorded the appearance of a fox.
The footage shows the predator first cautiously inspecting the entrance and then reaching inside the den and pulling out a live wolf cub.
The second attempt was successful
At first, the wolf cub managed to break free and return back to the den.
However, a short time later, the fox got inside again and dragged the wolf cub away for the second time.
The video doesn't show what happened next, but researchers speculate that the fox probably killed the cub, as it didn't appear in the footage again after that.
Why the fox decided to attack
According to the scientists, the attack was likely opportunistic - that is, random.
Interestingly, there was plenty of other prey in the area, such as young deer, so the attack was probably not due to a lack of food.
At the time of the attack, the adult wolves were on the hunt, which made the den more vulnerable.
What happened after the attack
Two days after the incident, the entire wolf pack left the den and moved to another location.
Researchers speculate that the animals decided to change the den after it became unsafe.
Why this is important to science
Scientists say the observation expands the understanding of predator-prey interactions.
Even medium-sized predators such as foxes can pose a threat to the offspring of larger predators.
If such occurrences are more frequent than previously thought, they could have an impact on wolf survival rates and wolf population dynamics.
Source of the study
The findings are published in the scientific journal Current Zoology.
The authors of the study are Celeste Buelli and colleagues.