Ethiopian wolves have a sweet tooth. These flowers are their lollipops
Sheena Goodyear | CBC Radio | Posted: November 29, 2024 11:06 PM | Last Updated: November 29
Scientists say the wolves, who go from flower to flower, may be the 1st-known large carnivore pollinators
Ethiopian wolves may be carnivores, but new research suggests they supplement their diet with the sweet, sticky nectar of native flowers.
The sleek predators of the Ethiopian highlands have been observed licking the nectar from red hot pokers — tall, cone-shaped flowers that are popular among local children for their honey-like taste.
"They go every day to get a little sweet treat," Sandra Lai, senior scientist at the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "It's a very fun thing to observe."
Lai is the lead author of a study published in the journal Ecology that identifies the wolves as the first large carnivore species to be documented feeding on nectar.
The researchers say it's possible the wolves are helping to spread the flower's pollen, highlighting one of the many ways plants and animals work together in ecosystems.
Ethiopian wolves are the rarest species of canid, or dog, in the world, and Africa's most-threatened carnivores. Found only in the Ethiopian highlands, there are fewer than 500 of them spread over 99 packs.
For this study, the researchers observed a pack of wolves in Ethiopia's Bale Mountain region, where, for half the year, the landscape is lush with Kniphofia foliosam, also known as torch lilies or red hot pokers.
The yellow and orange flowers, which Lai describes as "sunset coloured," are covered in a honey-like nectar that's a favourite among the children of shepherds who work the hills.
"It's very, very sweet," said Lai, who has personally sampled the nectar. "It's very sticky, also. When you touch the flower, it gets all over your fingers."
The wolves, however, don't seem to mind getting a little messy. Lai and her colleagues observed them going from flower to flower to gobble it up. Adult wolves sometimes bring their pups along, showing them how to get a tasty treat.
Just like people, Lai says, some wolves seem to have more of a sweet tooth than others, with the most voracious snackers hitting up as many as 30 blooms in a single trip.
Lai says the nectar likely gives the wolves a boost of energy between meals of rodents, and it may be beneficial to the flowers, as well.
"As they forage for nectar, their muzzle becomes covered with pollen," Lai said. "So there is a possibility that they're able to pollinate these flowers."
More research is needed to confirm for sure whether they're pollinating, she said. But if they are, it could make them the first known large carnivore species to do so.
'A bowl of sugar on a stick'
James Cahill, a biological sciences professor who studies pollination at the University of Alberta, lauded the study for taking a holistic view of the role predators play in ecosystems.
"It's always good to learn more about what species are actually doing in nature rather than what we assume they are doing," Cahill, who was not involved in the research, told CBC in an email.
Predators, he says, are "more than animals that eat other animals." Many also eat fruit, or smaller animals that feed on fruit, therefore helping to spread the seeds.
In fact, he says animals and plants interact in all sorts of ways. Some mammals, such as bats, are known pollinators.
"I would expect that as more people look for such interactions, we will find more examples," he said. "Flowers are really just a bowl of sugar on a stick — what dog wouldn't love that for a snack?"
Plants and animals in harmony
Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tuscon, Ariz., says there's so much to learn from this simple observation of wolves licking flowers, including that wolves teach behaviour to their young, and plants and animals can co-evolve in harmonious ways.
She noted the wolves' long snouts and wide cheekbones seem perfectly designed to feed from the conical flowers.
"This study demonstrates that there are so many wondrous things humans have yet to discover about nature — making it all the more important we protect as much as possible all wildlife and plant species and the wild places they call home," she said.
The study was conducted in collaboration with several conservation organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the U.K.'s University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and Dinkenesh Ethiopia.
Lai says she hopes learning more about the wolves' roles in the ecosystem will help inform conservation efforts for the endangered species, which are threatened by habitat loss from human development and the spread of disease from domestic dogs.
"Ethiopia is the second largest growing country in Africa, so there's a need to balance the needs of the local communities and the wildlife," she said.
"I also hope that with the paper, for more awareness to the threats that they are facing might help with the conservation of this species."