Three Dead Animals

[Amoeba]

Yesterday I was out on a walk and I saw 3 dead animals.

I saw a dead bumble bee - lost its stinger.

I saw a dead rat - lost its head (or maybe it was just tucked under? Can't tell, there was no blood, but it didn't look like it was tucked under). Quite big, actually, I've never seen a rat that size before.

I saw a dead house spider on a pavement - I think it was just stood on a bit, but it didn't look squished or anything.

As morbid as it sounds, you can really get quite close to examining the details of a dead animal, though I didn't get too close, especially kept my distance from the rat! But got a clear enough glimpse of its scutes to know a little better how to draw them. They're shinier and smoother than I first thought.

I suspect a cat killed the rat, can't think of any other animal that would kill for the sake of killing and leave most of it uneaten.

3 is a funny number though. It just stuck out in my head, to go without seeing any dead animals for ages and 3 come along at once in the same day.

There was another day I saw 3 dead animals at once too. Strange. That time it was a frog and 2 mice, on the same road, all squished by a car.

[Dogghound]

Bumblebee's dont loose their sting and die, they can sting multiple times so this might not have been the cause of death.

[Amoeba]

I assumed so since its abdomen appeared empty (you could see light reflecting inside it) and its stinger was missing. And whenever we were taught bees lose their stinger, it was usually with a bumblebee illustration or video.

Just goes to show how well the tax-payer's money is being applied to education! Though it's been many years since I was in school, going by some of the kids round here nothing's really improved.

[Dogghound]

Yes its honey bee's which die as they have a barbed sting that stays in. Bumblebee's are like wasps and can keep stinging without dying. It could have been anything which killed it including a parasite hard to say for sure.

[Lance Morgan]

BB hit by car lose their insides splat!

[Amoeba]

Possible, though the nearest road with cars was a good walk away.

We probably won't find out the cause.

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Yes its honey bee's which die as they have a barbed sting that stays in. Bumblebee's are like wasps and can keep stinging without dying. It could have been anything which killed it including a parasite hard to say for sure.

This was mentioned in another thread & d'you know I never knew that. Why are we taught otherwise? I'm pretty sure that is universally taught. Now I'm going to have to start running from Bees as well ! I am that idiot shrieking whenever a wasp comes near me, I'm phobic about the bloomin things. It's not that I try & kill them, (in fact I helped a queen wasp the other day which had been hibernating in the house. I gave her some sugary water then opened a window for her) it's that they don't leave you alone & have an ability to stay exactly one inch away from your right ear at any given moment. Bees just seem to potter about & you can move around them. I was always taught that they are less likely to sting as it will kill them.

[Tracey.A]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Yes its honey bee's which die as they have a barbed sting that stays in. Bumblebee's are like wasps and can keep stinging without dying. It could have been anything which killed it including a parasite hard to say for sure.

I too always thought that wasps could sting and sting, but bee's would die once they had stung something. I didn't realize that Bumblebee's could do this without dying. Thanks Dogghound for clearing that up

Tracey