The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park has an unexpected upside: It's helping to fatten up the bears, new research suggests.
The wolves have kept the park's population of elks (prey for wolves) in check, which in turn limits how many berry-producing shrubs the elks consume. As a result, the bears have more tasty berries to eat, finds a study published today (July 29) in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
via news.yahoo.com
After re-introduction of the wolves, the supply of berries increased leading to lower 'cost of extraction' for bears and increased consumption.
Too much of a stretch?
