[NatureNS] re Dead yearling? Harp? Seals

Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:44:27 -0300
From: Noel Taussig <birdsareback@ecologyaction.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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...Seal hunt is OK with me, lets just make sure we do it right.

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
On Behalf Of Noel Taussig
Sent: April 16, 2009 9:55 AM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: RE: [NatureNS] re Dead yearling? Harp? Seals

Thanks Andrew, I don't see any debate here, I've known for years that people
shoot seals, blaming them for the lack of fish. This type of incident is
unfortunately common around the province. -Noel

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
On Behalf Of Andrew Hebda
Sent: April 15, 2009 10:40 AM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re Dead yearling? Harp? Seals

We checked out several of these "mass" seal beachings a couple of years
back.  The ones we saw had serrated knife (not shark) marks and multiple
straight cuts at point of head severing - pretty easy to see those....   in
addition to the projectile entrance and exit holes.

That, notwithstanding, aside from loss of freshly-weaned juveniles there are
some health issues in seal populations, including phocid distemper.   So if
there is a possibility of wildlife health questions, should be referred to
the AVC via DNR or DFO.

Andrew

A Hebda
Nova Scotia Museum
 

>>> Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com> 4/15/2009 10:17 am >>>
"Lovely subject?" Sure it is!

2009/4/14 James W. Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>:
> Others have suggested that these seals died perhaps weeks ago, and that
scavenging by gulls etc. starts with the head and works posteriorly from
there.  Lovely subject, eh?

Scavenging by any vertebrate doesn't start with the head, with the
minor exception that some birds will feed on the eyes first. In all
the carcass provisioning that I've done over the years, I've come to
see a basic pattern. Internal organs first (from chest and abdomen),
then muscle. Herbivore intestines may be left behind.

The head has mostly inaccessible nutrients (brain, tongue). The
muscles of the head, (e.g. masseter) are relatively accessible, though
under some tight skin (the skin of the head is bound tighter to the
underlying tissues than other parts of the body, making entry there
less easy than elsewhere). And compared with other parts of the body,
the pickings on the head are quite sparse.

Now where's my lunch...?
Randy
_________________________________
RF Lauff
Way in the boonies of
Antigonish County, NS.

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