Ravens have long been thought to follow wolves to find food, but new research shows they’re far more strategic. By tracking both animals in Yellowstone, scientists discovered that ravens memorize areas where wolf kills are likely and fly directly to those spots—sometimes from great distances. Rather than trailing wolves, they rely on learned patterns in the landscape. It’s a clever system that highlights just how intelligent these birds really are.

Ravens have long been thought to follow wolves to find food, but new research shows they’re far more strategic. By tracking both animals in Yellowstone, scientists discovered that ravens memorize areas where wolf kills are likely and fly directly to those spots—sometimes from great distances. Rather than trailing wolves, they rely on learned patterns in the landscape. It’s a clever system that highlights just how intelligent these birds really are.

  • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.socialEnglish
    76·
    1 day ago

    Wait, wait, wait-- so it’s still about the kills, right, and rich feeding grounds for ravens…?? OP, please explain?

    This post is hosted on beehaw.org which has higher standards of behaviour than most places.

    Haha, really?

    • belluck@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      22·
      1 day ago

      I don’t get your confusion here. Previous consensus was that ravens followed wolves to their prey, while this study showed that they independently fly to certain locations in anticipation of finding a wolf and its prey there.