So apparently, while I’m over here trying to remember where I put my keys and my motivation, a female wild wolf on the central coast of British Columbia has decided to outdo all of us. She was caught on camera pulling a crab trap out of the ocean to snack on the bait inside. Yes, a wolf. Fishing. Using tools like a wilderness MacGyver with fur.

Meanwhile I’m still struggling with the foil seal on a yogurt cup.

This wolf was out there, paws deep in the Pacific, essentially saying, “Oh you humans think you have the monopoly on innovation? Hold my crab trap.” Honestly, that’s the type of inspiration I’m looking for these days which is bold, resourceful, maybe a little damp but undeniably brilliant. Can we bottle up that ingenuity and ship it to about a few thousand people? Overnight delivery preferred.

Because if a wolf can say, “Let me just pop down to the ocean and engineer myself a seafood buffet,” then surely the rest of us can follow through on that email we’ve been avoiding since August. Right? Right??

Then there’s the other delightful bit of scientific breaking news. Raccoons in urban cities are supposedly evolving to be cuter. Rounder button noses. Softer facial structure. Basically woodland influencers perfecting their “please-don’t-chase-me” aesthetic.

Look, I have three raccoons high up in my backyard who show up like they own the place. They stare down at me with their little masked faces like I’m the intruder. And trust me, I am not inviting them inside no matter how adorable evolutionary biology is trying to make them. Because I know better. Cute is a gateway drug to chaos, and raccoons are just trash pandas with ambition.

But good on them! They’re evolving in real time without the assistance of dermatologists, injectables, or filters. They woke up like this (scientifically speaking) and they’re leaning all the way in.

So here we have it. A wolf outperforming me in both strength training and strategic thinking. Raccoons getting gradual, generation-to-generation glow-ups.
Nature basically showing off.

Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to evolve from “slightly overwhelmed” to “mildly functional” without needing a nap afterward.

Honestly, the animals are putting us to shame.

But maybe they’re also giving us a little nudge. A reminder that adaptation is possible, creativity is survival, and sometimes the next leap forward involves doing something unexpected like ripping a crab trap out of the ocean or deciding to be cuter on purpose.

So here’s to the wolves who innovate, the raccoons who accessorize with evolution, and the rest of us who are trying to keep up without losing our coffee mugs.

Nature: 2
Humans: still loading.