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Cherax sp. (poss C. destructor)
I would usually refrain from posting a spotting of something that is dead, but this one has piqued my interest. A crustacean species, perhaps a freshwater crayfish (aka Yabby), found on a viewing platform walkway. There were several specimens like this, all smashed, but none consumed, and bird droppings were found around each. All looked as if they were freshly killed. Specimens approx. 10 cms in length, and I'm baffled by the absence of any visible claws. I can only suggest this carnage is the work of Little Pied Cormorants (Microcarbo melanoleucos), also spotted in the area.
Extensive wetland area near the township of Guyra, in the New England District of NSW. Most of the wetland is currently dry with the exception of the deeper ponds. This area is known as the Mother of Ducks Lagoon, and it is a haven for wildlife, and particularly well-known for its abundance of birdlife. http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visi... The lagoon is a natural high-altitude wetlands reserve held in a silted volcanic crater. It was dry for much of the past 100 years due to drainage for farming, but was restored in 1988 and is once again home to many birds.
Firstly, I've never seen a clawless yabby, or at least one with small claws. Perhaps the claws were removed by the predator to lessen the likelihood of injury? However, there wasn't a claw to be seen, attached or otherwise. Secondly, I'm at a loss as to why these animals were killed. There were probably 6 - 8 kills just like this, but none eaten. It's a mystery. Will try to ID this spotting. >>>>> PS: I've search all sorts of sites and images, and my best guess would be this is a Common Yabby (minus its claws). The size, and definitely the colour, match with most images I've seen. The range of the species also includes this region of NSW. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aquacu... It is the best known of the freshwater crayfish species native to Australia.
Spotted on Jul 29, 2016
Submitted on Aug 14, 2016
11 Comments
Adding my 2 cents to help solve the mystery!
I'm sure the cormorants know what they're doing, and that could explain the absence of claws, either on the animal or scattered nearby. But it looks like the yabby has been pecked at and broken, but still, not eaten? That bit remains a mystery to me. Thanks again, Hema. Your comments are always appreciated :)
Neil, When cormorants happen to catch a crustacean like a crayfish, they exhibit a little flair in eating it—hammering the prey on the water to shake its legs off, then flipping it in the air and catching it headfirst for easy swallowing.
Thanks, Leuba. Bits off the claws? Predation perhaps, or maybe used for fishing? Well, you've got the claws and I have the rest. That's gotta make a whole yabby.
An interesting observation about the claws. Over here in the damp eucalyptus forest we find yabby holes by the creek and always bits of the claw. I've never seen any other part of the yabby !
I like the shot of the viewing platform.
I'll be down that way again at some stage soon, so definitely worth further investigation. As I said, my interest has been piqued. Thanks again, Hema.
fishing is not allowed so bait can be ruled out. Only thing that remains is the birds. Maybe they just prefer to eat the claw meat. That is the sad part of Prey and predator. Often times a predator just takes a bite out of the prey .The prey is often alive.
I can see a tail in one of them. People eat the tail part of the crayfish and not the rest of it.They are also used as baits. Maybe they were declawed before being used as bait to catch other fish?
Yeah, I read about that. It's like a black spot that eats through the shell. Other than that, this is a mystery. Definitely taken by birds and left on the walkway. People wouldn't do this, and besides, fishing is prohibited here. It's the absence of claws that has me stumped.
Though crayfish are not endangered, they do suffer from a disease called crayfish plague. The disease stems from a water mold, and it kills certain species of crayfish.
It certainly is mysterious.