I had the strangest sight greet me in a wooden tunnel with a Victor snap trap in it. All that was left of the caught mouse/rat was a little tangle of bones, all neatly stripped and still joined by sinew etc. It was bizarre! I’ve had mice etc eaten clean up to the edge of traps, some looked like a mis-fire then you open the trap and head tumbles out.
What cleans meat off the bones without taking any bits away?
Any sign of insects around the carcass? Museums apparently use dermestid beetles to clean skeletons, and it looks like Dermestes maculatus is present as an introduced species in NZ.
Tuatara skull preparation | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
2 Likes
Wasps going for protein?
1 Like
I would also suggest wasps, I have quite a few eating the catches in my traps.
1 Like