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A parasite makes wolves more likely to become pack leaders

A parasite might be driving some wolves to lead or go solo. Wolves in Yellowstone National Park infected with Toxoplasma gondii make more daring decisions than their uninfected counterparts, researchers report in Communications Biology. The wolves’ enhanced risk-taking means they are more likely to leave their pack or become leaders of their own. Single-celled T. gondii has a track record of altering animal behavior.