He and other scientists have informally observed Ethiopian wolves exhibiting this odd behavior over past few decades. The endangered predators are regularly monitored as part of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, founded by Sillero in 1995 following his first few visits to the region. “These observations are just the first step in really understanding whether (the wolves) are pollinators or not.”Among mammals, bats are considered the major pollinators. A flagship speciesEndemic to Ethiopia’s Afroalpine meadows and living exclusively in a handful of isolated areas, just 454 adult Ethiopian wolves remain. By engaging the public with exciting research — such as the discovery that Ethiopian wolves drink nectar — Sillero seeks to improve familiarity with the species.

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Persons: Claudio Sillero, —, Sillero, Adrien Lesaffre, muzzles —, Jeff Ollerton, “ They’ve, “ It’s, ” Ollerton, Ollerton, Ethiopia’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Oxford University, Ethiopian, Conservation, Northampton University, IUCN Locations: Ethiopia, United Kingdom