Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
3097
Gymnogyps californianus
May 12, 1946 Nr. Mt. Posg Calif.
N. of the road, 100± W. of Paso Creek, on a 5-10% E.
facing shot dry grass slope I found where I
believe the birds were feeding. I found 2 squirrel tails,
with meat & bone pulled out (skin turned inside
out) for basal 3" - these tails were separate from
the rest of skeleton. There were two spinal columns
with ribs & pelvis attached, one with a single
hind leg attached (skinned out & bone cleaned to
foot) & the other without. One skull shells, clean-
ed, & entire except for one arch. A just twisted
shredded piece of skin (about 6 sq. inches). A detached
separate
foreleg, skinned to wrist, & fairly cleaned of meat. Ribs
were spread wide, the sternum gone, but only a
few were broken off. One stomach & intestines, &
another stomach. The latter was wet & brown - poss-
ibly was regurgitated. Two carbor "hachles" were in the
vicinity. One entire femur lay near a skull. The
"meat" was scattered over a 20' diameter area.
In a walk 100 yds. further down stream I found
3 dead squirrels on open ground - juicy & limp but
not maggoty; skin unbroken, eyes dried up -
apparently food plentiful here. About 50' upwind
from these remains was the striking corpse of another
squirrel - this one was juicy & soft & much hair
had fallen off. Stomach protruded outside the body.
Two legs were cleaned of meat & fur to the wrist,