What is the main nutritional contribution of berries and fruits to the gray wolf diet?
Vitamin and water supplementation.
Although gray wolves are classified as carnivores and their primary energy needs are met through high-fat and high-protein animal matter, they do consume vegetation, particularly berries and fruits during late summer and autumn. However, the significance of this plant matter intake is not in providing foundational energy. Because the wolf's digestive tract is structurally optimized for processing meat, it cannot effectively break down large quantities of complex carbohydrates found in vegetation. Consequently, the bulk of the calories derived from plants are minimal; instead, these items offer essential vitamins and hydration. They function as a dietary buffer that supplements the main diet, especially when primary food sources are less available, but they cannot sustain the necessary caloric density required for rigorous activities like hunting or territorial defense.
