From South Essex Wildlife Hospital

Ok… this was an odd one!

Whilst more than 98% of our admissions stem from the actions of Mankind, wildlife can still find ways to get into difficulty without our help!

This is a black-headed gull… and, yes, he managed to get his toe caught in an oyster!

Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time this happened and isn’t quite as uncommon as you think. The poor bird was well and truly stuck in place but, luckily, a little leverage with Alda’s multitool soon had his foot free!

He isn’t quite out of the woods yet and may still need work to help the toe heal, but it was quite a lucky escape after some very clumsy foot placement!

And yes… the oyster was also fine (and was later released).

We’ve covered this type of situation before, so click here to see some more birds getting clamped by clams, plus a bonus beautifully animated Chinese parable of a bird and a clam!

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    4·
    5 days ago

    Birds (65 MYA), and even dinosaurs (240 MYA), are just young whipper snappers to bivalves (500 MYA). They’re not going to be hassled endlessly by some water bird! They may be slow, but when they catch you, you’re going to remember it! 😄

    I wasn’t going to share it since I thought it might be too morbid, but Fish and Wildlife shared this anemone eating the remains of a gull!😮

    Big Little Shop of Horrors vibes.

    Sea life was here first, and it’s probably also going to be the last!

    Eldritch horrors inside!

    USFWS

    When a seagull meets its anemone.

    Recently, a volunteer with Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge spotted a sea anemone in the process of digesting a seagull leg that had washed into the tidepool.

    Despite looking like lush marine flowers, green sea anemones are actually hungry carnivores and ambush predators armed with tiny stinging cells called nematocysts.

    Anemones are opportunistic feeders, catching whatever drifts within reach, which can be crabs, small fish, mussels, and other unexpected snacks delivered by the waves. Once captured, the tentacles guide the food into the central mouth, where digestion begins slowly but efficiently.

    USFWS volunteer photo: Ed Nordquist, via Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuges