predator mystery
Alistair Fraser
Michael Lancaster
Looks a bit like a squirrel to
me. Could it have got greedy, gorged itself then got stuck
backing out??
Barry
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-- M B Lancaster Currently, Oliver, Canada
Rick Howie
As usual Alistair, you have stumbled upon a challenging scenario. Initially, we have few mammalian predators that are relatively small and arboreal. The are Red Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Norway Rat, Black Rat, Bushy-tailed Wood Rat, Raccoon, Marten, Fisher and possibly smaller weasels. Scale is tricky in the photo.
On the basis of tail, we can eliminate the introduced rats and wood rat. The tail is too bushy for the small weasels nor does it seem suitable for marten and the pelage not right for Fisher. So at first cut, we seem to be left with a species of squirrel or raccoon. The pelage colour is difficult to assign, but it seems to have a tinge of reddish brown. The tail looks very large but this may bea photographic anomaly. Looking in the hole itself, it may be my imagination, but do I see part of the mammal head, possibly with some white around an eye.?
If so, I am thinking this could be a Red Squirrel.
In terms of the reason for its mortality, I suggest that it may not have been killed. I wonder if it put its head and forelimbs into the hole and possibly that is all that would fit. When reaching down to predate the nestlings, perhaps it became wedged and could not figure out an escape tactic. Darwin always seeks to eliminate the unfit.
Otherwise, a baffling mystery.
Rick Howie
Kamloops
--
Michael Lancaster
So you did not see my by return message young Howie?
Barry
Rick Howie
I did Barry: but lacking the visionary perspectives of older and wiser associates, I decided to share my deductive reasoning. The squirrel image was not immediately obvious in my first glance but I was suspicious.
The cavity seems to be somewhat slot-shaped as opposed to round? This may have led to the predacious beast becoming wedged there. The notion of a full stomach has some appeal if all chicks were eaten and the stomach was initially located within the cavity while the hips were hanging outside the opening. The creation of a bulge would then possibly have prevented the squirrel from backing out and it would have no way of regurgitating the nestlings. Just as you have suggested.
Rick Howie
Michael Lancaster
Ah! The difference between an
Englishman's explanation and a North American's explanation
in answer to a question:-):-) And yes! I
believed that I could see an eye surrounded by white! As may
be deduced, when I read your message I believed that you had
not received mine. My apologies!
Barry
Alistair Fraser
After a review of possible arboreal predators, a number of people suggested that it must be a squirrel. That its tail is not bushy, is probably the result of hanging there for a couple of days in the rain. It is likely that it just got stuck.