Researchers have discovered that meat-eating Ethiopian wolves also like sweets.
The Ethiopian wolf is one of the most endangered canid (dog-like) species in the world, and the most endangered in Africa. There are less than 500 Ethiopian wolves left. They face conservation threats including habitat loss and diseases like rabies, which they can catch from domestic dogs.
The Ethiopian wolf is different from a grey wolf. It does not hunt or live in packs like grey wolves. The Ethiopian wolf is a unique species that has been evolving in Africa for millions of years. It is roughly the size of a coyote, and it lives in several isolated populations in mountain plains across Ethiopia.
Ethiopian wolves mostly eat rodents like giant mole rats. After a nice big meal of juicy giant mole rats, what could be better than dessert? Mole rat chip cookies? Grass rat flavored ice cream? The answer, it turns out, is flower nectar.
Researchers from the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) observed Ethiopian wolves feeding on the nectar of flowers of the red hot poker, a plant found only in Ethiopia. The flower’s sweet nectar attracts insects and birds, and other mammals such as domestic dogs, olive baboons, and mountain nyala, an antelope species. The local Oromo community also uses the nectar as a sweetener for food and coffee.
Researchers followed six Ethiopian wolves, from three different packs, over four days between May and June 2023. The researchers found that nectar-eating behavior is widespread among the different packs. The Ethiopian wolves, while moving through a flower field, would stop and lick the most mature flowers containing the most nectar.
The Ethiopian wolf is the first large carnivore documented feeding on nectar.
Ethiopian wolves are unlikely to be consuming nectar for energy, according to the researchers. Instead, they think the nectar could be like a “dessert.” The wolves may eat it because it tastes good, rather than as an essential part of their diet.
The Ethiopian wolf is also possibly the only large meat-eating predator that is also a plant pollinator. The wolves would leave flowers with pollen deposited on their muzzle. Each wolf was observed visiting up to 30 flowers, spending from a minute to more than an hour in a flower field.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids. It is based on an article by Kristine Sabillo, published on Mongabay News:
Learn about the published research here.
