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Another bivalve victim

To: David Clark <>
Subject: Another bivalve victim
From: Peter Shute <>
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:02:21 +1100
It seems odd that species that have fed on or near these bivalves for many 
thousands of years are dumb enough to let themselves be injured regularly by 
them to this extent.

There's no doubt that they occasionally get trapped, as this has been observed. 
But is there any evidence that this can lead to loss of a toe, let alone a 
whole foot?

According to this web page, fishing line entanglement is very common:
http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/Articles/Display/11532-The-Dangers-Of-Discarded-Line

Peter Shute

Sent from my iPad

On 23/02/2013, at 7:25 PM, "David Clark" 
<<>> wrote:

I saw the footless Pied Oystercatcher on a sandbank in Merimbula Lake 
yesterday.  Feeding on the mudflats nearby were two Eastern Curlews; one of 
which was limping badly and was making very heavy work of its foraging.

When it flew to another spot I could see that its injured foot remained splayed 
and was not tucked up for flight as usual.  Anadara is a large estuarine 
bivalve and I wonder if the Curlew tangled with one?

The mudflats are home to millions of small purple crabs (we called them purple 
people eaters when I was a child and I don't have my reference books with me to 
find the proper name).  The crabs swarm across the mudflats in waves and it was 
interesting to watch the flow of crabs when four Bar-tailed Godwits and one 
Silver Gull began feeding on them.

Sent from my iPhone
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