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Even a dead wolf is enough to scare a pig

Boars that encounter a wolf carcass will try to flee or fight the corpse, suggesting that sometimes dead predators can still influence their prey’s behaviour

By Jake Buehler

21 April 2023

Wild boars get spooked by even a dead wolf

Wild boars get spooked by even a dead wolf

Shutterstock/Martin Prochazkacz

Wild boars can still be scared by a dead wolf. Not only are apex predators scary to prey animals, but their carcasses seem to be able to produce a scare that other dead animals can’t.

Prey species behave differently depending on the presence or absence of predators in their environment, carefully navigating their world to reduce the risk of being eaten. Dead animals can also signal that a predator could be nearby, so some prey animals avoid carcasses. But little is known …

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