A Wolf Kill Feeds Ravens, Eagles, and Bears
Bears get two rewards, leftover meat and more berries from recovering shrubs.
Sustainable Human · How Wolves Change RiversWhen wolves in Yellowstone make a kill, other animals eat what is left. Ravens and bald eagles, large birds that readily scavenge, come down to feed on the meat the wolves leave behind.
Bears feed on the leftovers too. Bears also get more berries. After wolves returned, deer began avoiding valleys and gorges where they could be trapped, so young shrubs and trees could grow back. The regenerating shrubs produced more berries.
Bear numbers rose partly because of those extra berries. Bears also killed some of the deer's calves.
In Yellowstone, the wolves did both: their kills fed scavenging birds and bears, and by keeping deer out of valleys and gorges they helped shrubs produce more berries for bears.
Questions people ask
Do ravens really follow wolves around?
Yes. Ravens are quick to find carcasses, and scientists have watched them travel with wolf packs, feeding on scraps from kills. The relationship is so close that ravens will sometimes wait near wolves and call loudly once food is available.
Do bears actually eat meat from kills?
Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. In Yellowstone, they readily scavenge winter-weakened animals and wolf leftovers, along with roots, fish, and large amounts of berries in late summer and fall.