New findings, published in the journal Ecology, describe a previously undocumented behaviour of Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis). For the first time, these have been reported to feed on the nectar of Ethiopian red hot poker flowers (Kniphofia foliosa) – the first large carnivore species ever to be documented feeding on nectar. In doing so, the wolves may act as pollinators, perhaps the first known plant-pollinator interaction involving a large carnivore.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP), a partnership between the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), and Dinkenesh Ethiopia. They observed that some individual wolves would visit as many as 30 blooms in a single trip, with multiple wolves from different packs exploiting this resource. There was also some evidence of social learning, with juveniles being brought to the flower fields along with adults.
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