Observations of wolves eating berries in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem

Abstract

Wolves are opportunistic generalists that can respond quickly to new and unique food sources. Wolves in some ecosystems will consume berries and other fruits when they are abundant and available, however many aspects of this behavior remain unknown. In the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem (GVE), Minnesota, USA, wolves consistently consume berries, particularly blueberries, when they are available. We deployed remote cameras in blueberry patches to record wolves foraging on berries over several years. We captured footage of wolves of all age-classes, social statuses, and sex foraging on blueberries alone or with other wolves. Our observations indicate berry consumption by wolves is a widespread behavior in the GVE and likely similar southern boreal ecosystems. We hope our work spurs researchers across wolf range to examine whether berry consumption by wolves is a widespread and ubiquitous behavior for wolves.