Geese in Maine appear to get pleasure from a fairly good life. However typically they encounter obstacles.
Often, these obstacles embrace falling into the clutches of different creatures that reside within the water.
Such was the case for an unsuspecting feminine mallard within the Bucksport space.
Mark Bamford needed to do a double-take the opposite day when observing some geese on his dock at Lengthy Pond. Certainly one of them clearly had an issue.
Quite than sporting the standard two orange webbed toes, this duck was sporting a freshwater mussel on its left foot.
“I’m guessing that the clam was open and feeding when the duck stepped in it, and the clam closed on its foot,” stated Bamford, who was desirous to share the hooked up images with Bangor Day by day Information readers.
Bamford stated that the duck with the mussel sat on his dock with a gaggle of 5 different geese for a number of hours and was later swimming properly behind the group.
The marauding mollusk apparently wished to increase its horizons by hitching a experience with the duck. After all, it doubtless didn’t take into account the implications of such an motion, which undoubtedly included spending appreciable day out of the water.
The phenomenon just isn’t extraordinary — take a look at this account from Science Minus Particulars — however I’m amongst those that have by no means seen something fairly prefer it in individual.
Or, in case you want an instance from the saltwater, learn right here about how a quahog muckled onto one of many toes of a snowy egret. The chook was handled at a wildlife clinic, which eliminated the clam, splinted the toe and administered fluids and ache remedy.
For the file, freshwater bivalves don’t eat geese. Freshwater mussels are extra eager on consuming phytoplankton, diatoms and different microorganisms, in line with the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Pure Assets Conservation Service.
Clearly, the Maine mussel bit off greater than it may chew. Its destiny, and that of the duck, aren’t identified.
Bamford later noticed one other group of six geese swimming no drawback, although he wasn’t positive if it was the identical six he had seen over the weekend.
“If it misplaced the clam, then it’s most likely swimming together with the others,” he stated.
BDN author Ethan Genter contributed to this report.
