Telltale Signs!

My hike to the pier this evening was quite interesting.  Near the spot where the marsh ends and Bay begins, I found the telltale signs that I interrupted someone's meal.  The tide was low so areas that were flooded earlier, now were left high and dry.  It was on one of these mudflats that I spied some recently opened shells.  Some critter had supper!  I surveyed the conditions of the mud around the opened shells and found a few small footprints.  Just as I had expected my friend the otter had been cracking the shells.

The otters will eat most anything that they can catch or find including shellfish.  Today, the otter had dined upon mussels.  These mussels are found attached at the bases of marsh clumps throughout the Bayou. Most are about three inches in length although I have seen some at large as five inches.  The muddy brown exterior of the shell makes it blend well with its surroundings.  However, once the shell is opened and dried, the beautiful interior can be seen.  Although not as refined as "Mother of Pearl", this nacre has a lovely iridescent tinge.  Regardless of how pretty I think the shells are, I am quite sure that the otter was oblivious to the beauty.  It only saw the shells as housing a tidbit of food!

It amazes me at how deft the otters are at finding a meal.  They are not limited as are a lot of the Bayou critters.  These smart animals can catch a fish on the swim, crack shells of mussels and clams, make a meal out of carrion, snatch bugs from a reed and..open my crab trap doors to steal a fish or softshell crab!  Very rarely will an otter go hungry!

Tomorrow, I will try to retrieve the shells left behind by the otters.  These I can use in craft projects.  In a way, the otters were merely helping me.  In search of a meal, they ripped the mussels from their bed and cracked open the shells.  With their agile little "fingers", they cleaned the shells of any morsel. All I have to do is wash and dry the shells.  The nacre is mine for the using!  Thank you, Otter!