In the towering forests of the raincoast of British Columbia, a group of scientists have made a new discovery. But what they are learning is something the natives here have known for generations.

Biologist Paul Paquet, along with a handful of dedicated scientists have found a new subspecies of the gray wolf. Unlike its brothers that roam across North America on the open plain, this wolf swims, fishes for salmon and hops from island to inlet through water and rough terrain. The coast wolf could leave and expand its territory, but it does not because it knows, like the Heiltsuk First Nations people who share the land and water, that there is no place like this on earth.

As long as there has been the wolf in Bella Bella, there has been the Heiltsuk, a traditional First Nations culture that has celebrated the spirits of the land and animals, including the coast wolf. The lush forests, calm inlets and the mountains around Bella Bella are a living eden. In fact, there is more biodiversity in this area than anywhere on earth - even the mighty Amazon rainforest.

Canadian Geographic goes on the trail to this unique place where science and traditional knowledge intersect and are working together to unravel the secrets of this unique wolf subspecies and the world they inhabit.