#biology #wolves #toxoplasmagondii #mindalteringParasite #packleader
Diagram showing the hypothesized wolf-cougar-T. gondii feedback loop. (Meyer, Cassidy et al., Communications Biology, 2022)
A Strange Thing Happens to Wolves Infected by Infamous Mind-Altering Parasite
A study of 26 years' worth of wolf behavioral data, and an analysis of the blood of 229 wolves, has shown that infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii makes wolves 46 times more likely to become a pack leader.
The research shows that the effects of this parasite in the wild have been horrendously understudied – and its role in ecosystems and animal behavior underestimated...
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-strange-thing-happens-to-wolves-infected-by-infamous-mind-altering-parasite