Tag: Scavengers

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Fussy Eaters

When it comes to food,
a devil may indeed care.
Picky scavengers.

Scavengers are opportunists, feeding whenever and on whatever they can. If an animal relies primarily on scavenging (instead of hunting) then food is not guaranteed and so it’s important to feed when they can. As a result, scavengers shouldn’t be picky eaters.

Yet recent research by Lewis et al. (2022) suggests that the Tasmanian devil may buck these expectations. The researchers took whisker samples from devils caught around Tasmania and analysed the stable isotopes present in them to determine what the devils had been eating.

Rather than seeing the generalised diet typical of a scavenger, the researchers found that most Tasmanian devils are actually dietary specialists, preferring to feed on specific foods (for example birds, wallabies or possums). Curiously, heavier devils were more likely to show this specialisation in feeding behaviour, although the reasons for this are as yet unknown.

So why are Tasmanian devils different from all other scavengers?

It may be because there are no larger predators to compete with in Tasmania – their main competition is each other. Medium-sized mammals, such as wallabies and possum, are common victims of road collisions which may mean that there’s an abundance of carcasses of these species for devils to choose from, which combined with reduced competition enables dietary specialisation.

Further reading: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ECE3.8338

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Sqeamish ossifrage by John Norwood

Delectable mouse

in defiance, stands to face

sqeamish ossifrage

The ossifrage, more commonly known as the bearded vulture, prefers to feed on dead animals, feeding predominantly on the bone marrow as opposed to the meat. It will on occasion kill living animals, with its main prey being tortoises which it drops onto rocks to break them open.

This haiku celebrates a defiant mouse but was inspired by a secondary meaning. In my study of cryptography, I recently de-crypted a challenge with the solution: ‘the magic words are squeamish ossifrage’ which, as it turns out, is a phrase frequently incorporated into the solution of cryptographic puzzles since 1977.

Further reading: The Magic Words Are Squeamish Ossifrage

John Norwood is a Mechanical Engineer working with Carbon, Inc. to revolutionize how things are made. His interests include old houses, yoga, baking, cryptography, and bluegrass music. You can follow him on Twitter under the handle @pryoga

Enjoyed this sciku? Check out some of John’s other work: Universal truth, The answer is none, God may be defined, With enough data, and Rivers cut corners.