An Ethiopian wolf licks nectar from the red Ethiopian poker flower
Adrien Lesaffre
Ethiopian wolves feed on the sweet nectar of a native flower, and collect pollen from their beaks, which may be the first carnivores to act as pollinators.
Ethiopian wolf (A dog from Simio) is the world’s rarest wild canid species and Africa’s most threatened carnivore. Endemic to the mountains of Ethiopia, less than 500 individuals survive.
Sandra Lai at the University of Oxford and his colleagues observed wild wolves in Ethiopia stealing nectar from the hot poker in Ethiopia (Kniphofia foliosa) flowers. Highlanders traditionally use nectar as a sweetener for coffee and flat bread.
Wolves are believed to be the first regularly recorded carnivore species to feed on nectar.
“Nectar feeding is very unusual for large carnivores, such as wolves, due to a lack of physical adaptations such as a long tongue or specialized snout, and because most flowers are too fragile or produce too little nectar to be of interest to large animals. animals,” says Lai.
The strong, nectar-rich flower heads of the poker plant make this behavior possible, he says. “As far as I know, no other large carnivorous predator exhibits nectar feeding, although some omnivorous bears may forage adequately for nectar, albeit infrequently and poorly documented.”
Some wolves were observed visiting 30 blooms in a single trip. As they lick the nectar, the tips of the wolves become covered in pollen, which they will transfer from flower to flower as they feed.
Nectar feeding is very unusual among carnivores
Adrien Lesaffre
“This behavior is interesting because it shows that nectar feeding and pollination by non-flying mammals may be more widespread than currently recognized, and that the ecological importance of these lesser-known pollinators may be more important than previously thought,” says Lai. “It’s very exciting.”
Lai and his colleagues Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program now we hope to delve deeper into the behavior and its consequences. “Trying to ensure true wolf pollination would be ideal, but that would be quite difficult,” he says. “I’m also very interested in the social learning aspect of behavior. This year we saw adults bringing their young to the flower fields, which may indicate cultural transmission.’
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