Wolves are skillful hunters, and large, hoofed ungulates like deer and elk are generally on the menu. But scientists increasingly recognize that these keystone predators have an exceptionally varied diet partaking in everything fish to fruit!

The wolves living in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota eat blueberries – lots of them! Researchers found that most wolves spend extended periods in July and August, during peak blueberry season, foraging in blueberry patches.

Zephyr, Alawa, and Nikai don’t have access to any blueberry patches at the Wolf Conservation Center, so we offered them something really big and juicy - watermelons! After all, what better way to beat the summer heat than with delicious watermelons?

Just like us, a wolf’s diet can be highly variable and constantly changing depending on the environment. And perhaps fruit may be more important to the wolves’ diet than previously thought!