For decades, “Wolfie”, the humanoid wolf who appears at sports and campus spirit events has been the beloved mascot of Southern Maine Community College, blending both the coastal setting of the college on the historic site of Fort Preble next to Casco Bay with the ferocious and noble nature of the agile wolf. But what is a sea wolf?  

The sea wolf is not a fictitious hybrid between the sea and a land mammal, and it is a real breed of wolf that primarily lives in British Columbia, Canada. The sea wolf, officially known as the Vancouver coastal sea wolf (canis lupus crassodon), is one of 38 subspecies of gray wolf (canis lupus) in North America. They vary in coat appearance from wolf to wolf, with most having red, brown, gray and occasionally white fur. These wolves live primarily between southern Alaska and the entirety of the coast of British Columbia, as well as islands within the Salish Sea.

Sea wolves are migratory, and very strong swimmers, having been known to swim up to 7.5 miles (12km) between islands. Salmon is their preferred meal, but they eat only the heads, possibly to avoid salmon poisoning, a bacterial infection which is fatal to members of their animalia family. Most of their diet comes from the ocean, about 75 to 90 percent of it. Besides fish they also eat clams, barnacles, crabs and other forms of shellfish and crustaceans, using their powerful jaws to break open the shells and their large paws to dig through the sand to reach their prey. They are also known to feed animals like deer on land, as well as coastal mammals like seals and otters, and even minks further inland. This is especially true when they are young, as parent wolves will bring deer fawn to their pups, the smaller prey being easier to transport.  

Culturally, the sea wolf is an important part of tradition to the Tlingit people, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They call the sea wolf Gonakadet, or Knoakadeit. The Haida people also revere the sea wolf and call it Wasgo. The Tsimishian people also revere the sea wolf. In the traditions of these indigenous peoples, the sea wolf is a bringer of good fortune.  The myth of Gonakadet states that anyone who sees his underwater house rise above the waves or actually witnesses Gonakadet in his form as a monster, will be blessed by prosperity, luck, and even wealth.  

Southern Maine Community College is not the only university that has adopted the sea wolf as its mascot; Stony Brook University in New York also has a sea wolf named Wolfie representing them. The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) has used the sea wolf as their mascot since 1977 as well.