Sweet tooth – Ethiopian wolves seen feeding on nectar

by Caroline Wood, University of Oxford
November 20, 2024

New findings, published in the journal Ecology, describe a newly documented behaviour of Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis). Researchers at the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) observed Ethiopian wolves foraging for the nectar of the Ethiopian red hot poker (Kniphofia foliosa) flower. Some individuals would visit as many as 30 blooms in a single trip, with multiple wolves from different packs exploiting this resource. There is also some evidence of social learning, with juveniles being brought to the flower fields along with adults.

In doing so, the wolves’ muzzles become covered in pollen, which they could potentially transfer from flower to flower as they feed. This novel behaviour is perhaps the first known plant-pollinator interaction involving a large predator, as well as the only large meat-eating predator ever to be observed feeding on nectar.

Dr Sandra Lai, EWCP Senior Scientist based at the University of Oxford, and lead author on the new study, said: “These findings highlight just how much we still have to learn about one of the world’s most-threatened carnivores. It also demonstrates the complexity of interactions between different species living on the beautiful Roof of Africa. This extremely unique and biodiverse ecosystem remains under threat from habitat loss and fragmentation.”

Keep reading: https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/article/sweet-tooth-ethiopian-wolves-seen-feeding-on-nectar

Read the Ecology paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.4470