Tonka carp eating zebras- don't know extent

[stick500]

Was looking at the bones of about a 35" carp I shot last summer in an upper bay of Tonka and I noticed about a 5x2-inch pile of crushed zebra mussel shells where the stomach would have been! (I put the carp in a field last summer when I was too lazy to do anything with it- only the maggots got it, it wasn't scattered around).

So the question is, was that carp actively feeding on them the day it met my spear, or could the shells have been stuck in there for some time, from only occasional feeding on zebras, waiting to be digested? That of course I don't know.

I do understand carp have bony throats that can act as crushers for eating things like clams, crawdads, snails, etc.

The intact shells I saw I would describe as medium size, but most of the pile was finely crushed shells, looking like that you might find on a beach.

Wonder if any DNR or U of M people have been checking common carp bellies to see if they're feeding on them? I'll be checking stomach contents as soon as I get any fish with my bow or spear this year. Could be a very interesting twist to the zebra/carp story as it pertains to our lake ecosystems.

I do know that little six-inch carp love it when you crush some zebras on a rock for them- they zoom right in and snarf up the meat. Sunnies, too.

[popolarbear]

i do know on lakes with zebra mussels carp will feed more comfortably around fishing lines and not get spoked as easily. they also will crush a hook on occasion by accident while feeding and not even notice it. i have reeled in my line to find my hook snapped by the pharyngeal teeth stick is talking about. they are specialized organ used to crush seeds and shells.... yes they do feed on mussels. as do some sunfish(shell crackers) that can get very large once mussels arrive. i feel tonka sunnies are getting larger, as are the rock bass. milf is almost gone in the lake, completely killed out by the mussels.

[stick500]

Milf???




Here's the carp teeth and pieces I found in the bones. I don't quite know what that saw-like section is for- perhaps gills?




common carp teeth and "jaw"

[stick500]

figured out what the saw-like section is- the dorsal fin bone!

so everyone gets their useless carp biology trivia for the day

[popolarbear]

i had a dog ,and a kid step on one and get it stuck on them. dog ran around afraid. kid hobbled up to me ..

last night had to go to er with one that had a fork in his eye. he is fine. didn't fully puncture. just grazed the surface

[stick500]

Saw some more evidence carp are eating zebras in Tonka a couple days ago when a big carp (30-34 inches?) pooped as it cruised by me and it appeared a whole load of crushed zebra mussel shells came out.

Kinda like when parrotfish poop out crushed coral.

So it looks like for many years, big carp won't have to worry about finding enough to eat in Lake Minnetonka.

[stick500]

OK, more evidence yesterday. Saw a carp that appeared to be feeding off zebras that were covering an old wooden bridge piling. Couldn't tell for sure, but that's what it looked like.

[popolarbear]

here was this weekend