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Rare footage of wolves eating berries

Voyageurs Wolf Project | September 19, 2025



The berry season is here— the time of year when wolves in our area become omnivores! For some wolves and wolf packs, berries will likely be the primary food source for the next 4 or so weeks. Rare footage of this behavior above.

Some research we did a few years ago showed that berries can make up to 83% of a wolf pack’s weekly diet during the peak of the berry season. Of course, one has to wonder why wolves are eating berries in the first place?

It is almost certainly not because wolves prefer berries over other prey. Instead, berries are likely ’starvation food’. The availability of blueberries corresponds with a period of time when wolves main prey is less available and harder to catch.

By early-to-mid July deer fawns, which are wolves’ primary prey during June, have grown older and most fawns are able to evade wolves. Similarly, beavers are likely spending less time on land because they have abundant aquatic vegetation in their ponds. Thus, mid-to-late summer is a lean time for wolves.

Eating berries is likely a way for wolves to minimize weight loss during this period. When berries are abundant, wolves typically just linger around berry patches which likely requires far fewer calories than searching a wide area chasing after prey.

Notably, wolves are almost certainly not getting as many calories from eating berries as they would if they could kill prey (i.e., wolves would likely get more calories out of a pound of meat than a pound of berries). However, wolves can taste sweetness so the berries probably taste good and most importantly, the berries probably make the wolves feel satiated.

However, when eating a predominantly berry diet, wolves are almost certainly losing weight. Studies on captive coyotes and foxes have shown that both of these species lose weight when fed a diet of fruit. There is little reason to think the same isn’t true of wolves.

In the end, it likely just comes down to the cost-benefit of foraging on berries vs. hunting and killing prey!

Learn more about the Voyageurs Wolf Project:
Website: http://www.voyageurswolfproject.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VoyageursWolfProject
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/voyageurswolfproject/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VoyaWolfProject

Written by Voyageurs Wolf Project

Comments

This post currently has 36 comments.

  1. @nmn5550

    September 19, 2025 at 10:49 am

    Many animals considered carnivores actually eat fruits and plants on occasion.
    Many animals considered herbivores will sometimes snack on bugs, insects, or even small animals like birds. I've seen horses eat small chickens.
    Nearly all apes are omnivores – as evident by huge canines. Gorillas and organgutans will eat meat given the chance, so will chimps.
    All birds are omnivores, eating anything they can get their beaks on – from fruit to seeds to worms, insects. Ducks for instance, besides loving slugs and snails, will sometimes eat small ducklings when starving.
    Bears are apex predators, but we know they will snack on fruit and honey. So wolves eating berries doesn't surprise me.
    Naturally predators will prefer meat over plants, but animals are opportunistic, eating on anything that is available if their primary food is not.

  7. @ThePenitentSquirrel

    September 19, 2025 at 10:49 am

    Is there any possible way we could improve the tagging/track tech? It has always seemed needlessly cumbersome and has to be incredibly uncomfortable for both wolves and bears alike. I mean the GP-635T chip (or MN5D10HS Nano Hornet) is about the size of a quarter (USD coinage) and it seems to me placed with adequate environmental shielding it would be at least 1/4 the size of the current tracker.

  10. @kathyl9222

    September 19, 2025 at 10:49 am

    If deer occasionally eat meat, it’s not surprising carnivores will occasionally eat plants. Even cats will eat some houseplants. Carnivory and herbivory are on a spectrum.

  19. @monicasong427

    September 19, 2025 at 10:49 am

    As a native key stone species, that should be enough to do our part to protect them.

    It is very discomforting to see other animals chased, trapped, and tagged with such unnatural equipment—so we may find ever more reason to justify their right to exist.

  35. @marilynwargo6288

    September 19, 2025 at 10:49 am

    Like I always heard foxes did! Canids are certainly more flexible in their nourishment than cats, it seems. Would they survive in the wild without prey meat? Cats would not make it without taurine. Thinking out loud. 💙🌸🌙🐌

Comments are closed.

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