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Index of Subjects --0016e6dab082b5548b047c853ff5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 The "ant hill" approach to cleaning bones does not work here; I don't know if it works anywhere (is it urban myth?). Maybe there are some ants elsewhere that are scavengers...I've done a LOT of work with carrion in the wild here and rarely find ants anywhere on the carcass. Those that I do find are travelling...not feeding. Flies (think CSI) are the dominant insect group at carcasses, followed by beetles. Does anyone know of a case in which ants have really scavenged a carcass? I'm not asking if you've put a carcass on an anthill and it got cleaned (did ants do it?), but have ants actually been seen feeding on a carcass? You will get ants on the carcass at an anthill - a bunch of upset ants that are trying to figure out how to haul the critter away! The jawbone in the photos looks relatively clean already - the flesh on whale lower jaws comes off surprisingly easily. The biggest cleaning job that this bone would need would be inside the bone itself - the bone is tubular, and the inside is filled with blood vessels, nerve and other goo. If someone did get the bone for a highschool class, I recommend suspending it in a tree with the front end up - let the goo drip out (this may take some time). Obviously, don't use the tree in your front yard...the back yard is much more discreet ;). Morbidly yours, Randy Knowing the where abouts of an ant hill would be nice (to clean it up); of > course a beetle tank would be better. > > RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. --0016e6dab082b5548b047c853ff5 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The "ant hill" approach to cleaning bones does not work here; I d= on't know if it works anywhere (is it urban myth?). Maybe there are som= e ants elsewhere that are scavengers...I've done a LOT of work with car= rion in the wild here and rarely find ants anywhere on the carcass. Those t= hat I do find are travelling...not feeding. Flies (think CSI) are the domin= ant insect group at carcasses, followed by beetles.<br> <br>Does anyone know of a case in which ants have really scavenged a carcas= s? I'm not asking if you've put a carcass on an anthill and it got = cleaned (did ants do it?), but have ants actually been seen feeding on a ca= rcass? You will get ants on the carcass at an anthill - a bunch of upset an= ts that are trying to figure out how to haul the critter away!<br> <br>The jawbone in the photos looks relatively clean already - the flesh on= whale lower jaws comes off surprisingly easily. The biggest cleaning job t= hat this bone would need would be inside the bone itself - the bone is tubu= lar, and the inside is filled with blood vessels, nerve and other goo. If s= omeone did get the bone for a highschool class, I recommend suspending it i= n a tree with the front end up - let the goo drip out (this may take some t= ime). Obviously, don't use the tree in your front yard...the back yard = is much more discreet ;).<br> <br>Morbidly yours,<br>Randy<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><br><blockqu= ote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204= ); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div bgcolor=3D"#ffffff">= <div> <font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"> <div>Knowing the where abouts of an=A0ant hill would be nice (to clean it= =20 up); of course a beetle tank would be better. </div></font><br></div></div>= </blockquote></div><br>RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies of<br>Antigonish Coun= ty, NS.<br> --0016e6dab082b5548b047c853ff5--
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