Photo 14910232, (c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Rebelo

Attribution © Tony Rebelo
some rights reserved
Uploaded by tonyrebelo tonyrebelo
Source iNaturalist
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Wahlberg's River Mussel (Chambardia wahlbergi)

Observer

tonyrebelo

Date

April 7, 2018 03:52 PM SAST

Description

Whole pile around a tree

Photos / Sounds

What

Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)

Observer

tonyrebelo

Date

April 7, 2018 03:52 PM SAST

Description

Piles of mussels seen around Ficus trees.
Had us wondering which bird flew the molluscs from the sea to the these trees and why?

Turns out no one knew until Sharon Louw (KZN-Parks Board) put up some camera traps and discovered the Water Mongeese using the buttress roots on the trees to break open the mussels (from deep in the estuary), just like mongeese elsewhere open eggs: by shooting them between their hind legs onto the roots.

Associated taxa
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