Wolves are Natural-Born Gamblers, Study Reveals

Even though they have a lot of similarities, wolves and dogs are as different in terms of their feeding ecologies and explorative tendencies. A study shows that wolfs are natural risk takers compared to dogs, and it is because of their evolution that shaped their traits throughout the years.

According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, to find out if this assumption is true, the researchers at the Wolf Science Center in Ernstbrunn, Austria conducted a test that involved seven wolves and seven dogs. Interestingly, these animals were all raised in the center.

"We compared the propensity to take risks in a foraging context between wolves and dogs that had been raised under the same conditions," says Sarah Marshall-Pescini, a postdoctoral fellow at the Messerli Research Institute at the Veterinary University of Vienna and the Wolf Science Centre, Ernstbrunn, Austria, the study's first author, Phys.Org reported.

Both wolves and dogs participated in a two-way choice task. They are presented with several upside-down bowls. The animals will choose by touching the bowl using their paws or muzzles. Previously, the animals were already taught the first bowl had insipid-tasting food pellet while the second bowl will have either a piece of meat or a stone. It turns out that 80 percent of the trials on average, the wolves took the risk, while the dogs did so in only 58 percent of theirs, according to Science Mag.

"We found that wolves prefer the risky option significantly more often than dogs. This difference, which seems to be innate, is consistent with the hypothesis that risk preference evolves as a function of ecology." Marshall-Pescini said.

The explanation lies on how these animals evolve and adapted throughout the years. Humans domesticated dogs way back between 18,000 and 32,000 years ago. Thus, dogs are now more cautious as they evolved from hunting to scavenging. Wolves on the other hand, are more independent and are freer to roam around and explore to hunt for their food, something that they also grow to be adapted to.

"Wild wolves hunt large ungulates-a risky strategy, not only because hunts often fail, but also because these prey animals can be dangerous-whereas free-ranging dogs, which make up 80 [percent] of the world's dog population, feed mostly by scavenging on human refuse, a ubiquitous, unlimited resource. So dogs no longer need to take risks when searching for food, and this may have selected for a preference to play if safe," concludes Marshall-Pescini.