Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
Researchers found that ravens rarely trail predators over long distances and instead rely on spatial memory to return to places where kills have occurred before. Ravens treat areas with historically high kill density as predictable foraging sites, indicating that navigation and memory play the dominant role in food source location.
Coverage from 3 institutions
- Ravens don’t follow wolves to dinner – they remember where the food is American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · Mar 12, 2026 · first to report
- Wolves kill—and ravens remember where Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior · Mar 12, 2026
- Instead of tracking wolves to prey, ravens remember — and revisit — common kill sites University of Washington · Mar 12, 2026