Now that the snow is melted, we have the opportunity to tromp around the Arb and see what the snow left behind. All of the carcasses that were frozen and buried under the snow all winter are now appearing in various stages of decay. During the winter, deer struck by cars while crossing the highway stumble into the Arb, and raccoons and other rodents starve or are otherwise injured and end up frozen and semi preserved during the cold winter months. Now during the germination of spring, hungry animals are using these carcasses as an early spring buffet. Snuggling amidst the curled tendons and scraps of hide, you can find dermestid beetles. These beetles are the vultures of the forest floor, cruising amidst the loam searching for carcasses to nibble and lay their eggs on. In some places humans employ dermestid beetles to clean the skulls of trophy animals they wish to mount. Other types of flesh eating beetles are known for burying rodent carcasses beneath the soil, and rearing their young from that home base.
Owl pellets are another sign that not all of our rodent friends survived the winter. Much in the same way carcasses are preserved in snow, owl pellets accumulate beneath favorite roosting spots all winter. Owls consume their prey whole, but regurgitate a wad of bones and fur, much in the same way a cat coughs up a hairball. Inside the pellets, the preserved skulls of rodents and insectivores can present the arboretum enthusiast with information on what the owls were eating over the winter. So get out there, and find something dead.
–Adrienne Wilber ’11, for the Cole Student Naturalists
Thumbnail photo by Andrew Kleinhesselink ‘05
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