African Wild Dogs in Botswana Defy Nature, Eat Fruit
Endangered African wild dogs, long thought to eat only meat, have surprised scientists by munching on jackalberries in Botswana's Okavango Delta. This unexpected adaptability could help the species survive in a changing world.
Scientists watching African wild dogs in Botswana couldn't believe their eyes when the carnivores started eating fruit.
For the first time ever, researchers documented all 11 adults in a wild dog pack eating jackalberries daily in the Okavango Delta. These dogs have teeth designed to tear through flesh and bone, and experts believed they ate nothing but meat.
Megan Claase, then a researcher with Wild Entrust's Botswana Predator Conservation program, watched the unusual behavior unfold from July to August 2022. The dogs picked up the fruits from African ebony trees with their teeth and swallowed them almost whole.
Most of the fruit eating happened near the pack's den, right before the adults headed out to hunt. Claase thinks they may have been fueling up for the chase ahead.
Older dogs lower in the pack hierarchy ate fruit throughout the day, likely because they had less access to meat. Wild dogs regurgitate food for their pups, so young dogs were probably learning this new eating habit too.
The behavior could spread far beyond one pack. "It's not impossible to think that a dog who learned this in one pack disperses to form a new pack in a new area and takes that habit with them," Claase told Mongabay.
She later discovered that a safari guide had spotted a neighboring pack eating jackalberries a year earlier. After her study, three female members of the "jackalberry pack" dispersed much farther south, possibly carrying their fruit-eating habits to new territory.
The Bright Side
This dietary discovery brings hope for an endangered species facing tough odds. African wild dogs number only around 6,600 adults worldwide, threatened by habitat loss and climate change.
Their willingness to try new foods shows a flexibility that could help them survive. "Some things are not very adaptable, and then they go extinct," Claase said, "but maybe for the dogs, they have that certain level of adaptability in them."
The finding has intrigued other ecologists who've studied wild dogs in Botswana for years without witnessing fruit eating. It proves these remarkable animals still have surprises left to share.
Nature finds a way, and sometimes that way involves a carnivore becoming a part-time vegetarian.
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Based on reporting by Mongabay
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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