Internet Has Chills as Woman Is Surrounded by 13 Wolves in the Arctic—'Run'

An 18-year-old wildlife photographer has shared the incredible moment when she was surrounded by wild wolves while visiting the Arctic.

In a video with over 16 million views on TikTok, Meline Ellwanger shared the moment that 13 wild wolves surrounded her, resulting in some jaw-dropping footage.

Ellwanger's love of wildlife photography was sparked in 2018 when she went on an Arctic expedition in Greenland. The German-born photographer has since traveled around the world in search of the perfect wildlife subjects for her images.

The video captures the moment Ellwanger stares stunned at the camera before panning out to reveal wolves just a feet away from her. The animals walk around, howl, stretch and roll in the snow in the truly unusual moment.

Wolves in the Arctic are a subspecies of gray wolves known as the Arctic wolf that has adapted to the harsh conditions of the region.

Primarily found in the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland, they commonly inhabit parts of Canada and Alaska. Well-adapted to their cold environment, they have a thick, white fur coat that helps them blend into the snowy landscape.

Typically living in packs, groups of Arctic wolves range from just a handful to more than 20 wolves living together. Thick fur provides insulation and protection from the cold and a keen sense of smell helps them to locate prey. Known for their endurance and ability to cover large distances, their primary prey includes Arctic muskoxen, reindeer, Arctic hares and lemmings.

The World Wide Fund for Nature list the Arctic wolf as a species of "least concern," mostly thanks to the fact that their isolated surroundings mean they rarely come into contact with humans and so aren't threatened by hunting.

Despite this though, there are still some threats to the Arctic wolf, including climate change and resulting extreme weather conditions in recent years that have made it more difficult for musk ox and Arctic hare to find food. As their numbers decline, so too does the traditional food supply of the Arctic wolf.

Ellwanger always captures her images in the wild with the help of knowledgeable guides, with no bating or game farms and never at the expense of animal wellbeing.

In 2021, she won the 2021 Young Wilderness Photographer of the year with her image "Looking into the eyes of our ancestors."

Newsweek has reached out to Meline Ellwanger via email for comment.

On TikTok, Ellwanger has more than 130,000 followers and many of her incredible captures gain viral attention. Her chance encounter with the pack of wolves sparked particular interest with more than 14,000 comments.

Some commenters were a little more worried than excited. Like Amy Lafitte who wrote: "I would not be excited about 13 wolves SURROUNDING me."

While Kimia Ah said: "Am I the only one who would run for her life?? I mean they are fluffy yes, but they are wolves."

But others were thrilled by the incredible moment.

"Incredible. I can imagine how your heart was beating.. wolves are amazing," said Camille on TikTok. While Kay wrote: "My heart would explode. Wolves are so majestic."