Asked by: Jared Paterson, York
Wolves bury food that they can’t eat immediately. This keeps it safe from scavengers like crows and the cold ground helps to preserve it. Birds don’t have a good sense of smell so they find it harder to locate these buried caches than wolves do. Dogs retain this behaviour and will bury toys or bones – either because they are saving their leftovers, or just because they are bored.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
