According to researchers from the University of Oxford, up to 87% of flowering plant species depend on animal species for their pollination. They mainly rely on the help of insects like bees and butterflies, of course, but a surprisingly vast range of mammals serve as pollinators as well — like bats, rodents, sugar gliders, and mongooses. 

Until now, only small- to medium-sized mammals have been known to aid in pollination, which boosts floral production and diversity and stabilizes local food chains across the world.

But a new study released by researchers at the University of Oxford revealed that Ethiopian wolves — also known as red jackals — could be the first large mammal to contribute to predator pollination. 

Sandra Lai, a University of Oxford-based senior scientist with the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, and her colleagues cataloged their findings in a study, which was published in The Scientific Naturalist. 

“Here, we report the visitation to inflorescences of the Ethiopian red hot poker by a large carnivore, the Ethiopian wolf, in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia,” Lai wrote. 

“Wolves were observed foraging for nectar on K. foliosa flowers, which deposited relatively large amount of pollen on their muzzles, suggesting they could contribute to pollination.” 

In various photographs, taken by Carine Lavril and Adrien Lesaffre, an Ethiopian wolf can be seen lapping up the pollen on several “red hot poker” flowers, which look just like their namesake.

Lai hopes that these new findings inspire fascination and heightened awareness about these fox-like wolves, which are on the decline. 

Due to habitat fragmentation and increasing exposure to rabies and canine distemper, the Ethiopian wolf is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 

Today, fewer than 500 are known to exist in the wild. 

“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,” Lai said in the press release after their research went public. 

“This extremely unique and biodiverse ecosystem remains under threat from habitat loss and fragmentation.”

In the study, the researchers also noted the appearance of social learning, as juvenile wolves were observed following their parents into the flower fields to get a taste of the nectar. 

For now, it is unclear how the nectar foraging directly impacts their habitat on a larger scale, but researchers are optimistic about the untold ways the wolves are benefiting their environment. 

Claudio Sillero, founder of the EWCP, said that she’s tasted the sweet nectar of the Ethiopian red hot pokers before and that it’s “pleasantly sweet.” 

“When I later saw the wolves doing the same, I knew they were enjoying themselves, tapping into this unusual source of energy,” Sillero said in the press release. 

“I am chuffed that we have now reported this behavior as being commonplace among Ethiopian wolves and explored its ecological significance.”

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Header image via Adrien Lesaffre.