National Park Service

 

ORCID IDs

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2160-4722

Date of this Version

2-11-2020

Citation

Wildlife Society Bulletin 44(1):221–223; 2020; DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1065

Comments

U.S. Government Works are not subject to copyright.

Abstract

Wolves (Canis lupus) primarily provision pups by catching mammalian prey and bringing remains of the carcass to the pups at a den or rendezvous site via their mouths or stomach. In August 2017, we observed an adult wolf regurgitating wild blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) to pups at a rendezvous site in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, Minnesota, USA, which is the only known observation of wolves provisioning pups with wild berries. This observation, in combination with other evidence from the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, suggests wild berries might be a more valuable food source for wolves in southern boreal ecosystems than previously appreciated.

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