November 25, 2024 2:20 PM|
In the Ethiopian highlands, researchers documented what may be the first and only known example of a large meat-eating predator regularly indulging in nectar, nature’s sweet treat.
This unusual food preference may also inadvertently make them the world’s only documented large carnivorous pollinator, potentially filling a similar ecological role to insects and birds in their environment.
Researchers at the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme recorded Ethiopian wolves — the world’s rarest wild wolf species, of which fewer than 500 remain — feeding on the nectar of Ethiopian red hot poker flowers, making them “the first large carnivore species” to be recorded exhibiting this behavior, according to a study published Nov. 19 in the journal Ecology.
The team followed six wolves of varying ages from three different wolf packs over four days and recorded similar behavior among them all in the presence of the Ethiopian red hot poker flower.
“Typically, the wolf approached a stalk and licked the most mature flowers located at the bottom of the inflorescence and containing the most nectar,” according to the study.
Researchers noted that a “relatively large amount of pollen” could be seen on the wolf’s muzzle, adding that they could contribute to the pollination of the flower.
While some wolves visited between one and five flowers during the observation period, others visited between 20 and 30 at a time, dedicating “a considerable amount of time to nectar foraging,” researchers said.
“Since these observations covered several individuals from different packs, it indicates that this behavior is not incidental but rather widespread within the population,” the study said, suggesting it could be a learned behavior.
“To the best of our knowledge, the observations we report here highlight the Ethiopian wolf as the only large carnivorous predator documented consuming nectar,” the study said.
Claudio Sillero, a conservation biologist at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study, said he first learned about the Ethiopian red hot poker’s nectar when he “saw children of shepherds in the Bale Mountains licking the flowers,” according to a news release from the University of Oxford.
“In no time, I had a taste of it myself — the nectar was pleasantly sweet,” Sillero said. “When I later saw the wolves doing the same, I knew they were enjoying themselves, tapping into this unusual source of energy.”
The Ethiopian red hot poker flower is “predominantly self-incompatible,” or unable to be fertilized by its own pollen, relying on “external vectors such as pollinators to achieve cross-pollination,” according to the study.
More research is needed to determine whether the wolves can successfully pollinate the Ethiopian red hot poker flower, and if their presence adds value to the plant’s pollination process.
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme is a partnership between the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), and Dinkenesh Ethiopia, according to the release.