An endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) and its specialized rodent prey

Shadows on the Plateau

High atop the wind-scoured "Roof of Africa," a solitary Ethiopian wolf cuts a striking crimson silhouette across the stark, sub-freezing expanse of the Sanetti Plateau.

David S. McMeans · Sony Alpha I · Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS telephoto

Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains National Park, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Image

Shadows on the Plateau

High atop the wind-scoured "Roof of Africa," a solitary Ethiopian wolf cuts a striking crimson silhouette across the stark, sub-freezing expanse of the Sanetti Plateau. Unlike its pack-hunting gray cousins, this rarest of global canids has adapted to an isolated, daylight routine tailored exclusively to the hyper-vigilant rodents of the Afroalpine meadows. Moving with careful, agonizingly slow steps to mask the vibrations of its approach, the wolf locks its amber eyes on an emerging burrow. In a lightning-fast pounce, its elongated muzzle pierces the earth to successfully claim its prized bounty—a giant mole-rat. This specialized, high-calorie meal is an essential lifeline for a fragile predator whose survival hangs by a thread on these isolated, misty peaks.

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