The Ethiopian wolf, Africa's most endangered predator, has a sweet tooth. While the wolves are otherwise strict meat eaters, scientists have spotted the canids slurping nectar from torch lilies, a first for a large carnivore.
The wolves lick the flowers like ice cream cones. It's a scene from a storybook, said Sandra Lai, an Oxford University ecologist and an author of the research paper.
In the Bale mountains, the wolves’ prey of choice is the big-headed African mole rat, which must make for a monotonous menu. Fortunately, the wolves can spice up their diet during the flowering season.
Patches of the flowers, which bloom with a fiery ombre, can stretch for miles, creating the illusion of a vast procession of people carrying candles, Dr. Lai said.
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