BAC wrote:
"sfby" wrote in message
ups.com...
A friend of mine has a fishpond & a couple of times a week he finds
one or two of his fish dead on the lawn with their heads bitten off.

Any idea what sort of predator he should be looking for? We assumed
that anything that would get the fish out of the pond would eat the
whole fish (e.g. heron or cat)

Thanks


If a heron succeeds in getting a fish out of the pond, it will usually
swallow it whole. If disturbed, it might cough it up, but still whole.

Mammalian predators which aren't particularly hungry will often leave part
of their 'kill', either for later consumption, or because they've taken the
part they donsider 'tastiest'. Domestic cats aren't normally starving,
because they are fed by their owners, and hunt, largely, for the sport of
it. It is quite common for cat owners to remark on the 'gifts' of unconsumed
or part consumed prey left by their feline companions. Once, for example, my
next door neighbour complained that the cat was in the habit of leaving
(dead) goldfish on her step, which she assumed must have come from my pond,
so would I mind netting it. She meant the pond, I think ...

So I suspect a cat is the most likely culprit.


What was your reply BAC? Something witty and cutting I hope. ;-)