Yowie Dietary preferences

[Shazzoir]

Evening, all,

I just started wondering what exactly our Yowie friends are munching on out there in the wilds.

I've read about the wood grubs being popular, and imagine they must eat a lot of natural plant matter and so on. I've even heard about them snacking on other creatures, and there are references everywhere about dogs and cats going missing in areas inhabited by Yowies.

My question is, with all the scat samples that folks must have seen and collected, has any work been done on identifying diet plants and so on? Have there been small bones found in scats, or do you suppose they are most likely so ground up to be fully digested? Do they have a seasonal diet? They must follow the flowering and fruiting seasons in their home territories to take advantage of things like wattle seeds and fruits, as it would be silly to assume they don't eat the same things our native folks do.

Not sure if this topic has been covered before, but it might be interesting. Having said that, finding a Yowie poop would probably be a pretty lucky find - like most things in the bush and forest, they'd probably be broken down fairly quickly by weather and insects etc.
so unless you really knew the movements of a group of Yowies, you might never find them regularly enough to make a study of it.

Thoughs, anyone?

Shazzoir

[Yeti]

The yowies in my area tucker down on
Crickets, Black beetles, wood grubs, ground grubs selected seed pods, Moreton bay figs when they are in season, youmg shoots form the bracken fern, lamb chops, potatoes and it would appear horse.
I have had a scat analised and is at present in Vancouver, Canada being tested for DNA.
I have other scats(droppings) that I have yet to be analised.
The reason I said horse, was I keep coming across dead horses in my research area, 6 in total in the last couple of years.
I have asked the property owner about them die and it has him scratching his head, the horses are in tip top condition.
What got me thinking was when I located a recent dead horse with its forhead crushed in.
and had been chewed down on pretty hard, there could be no other explanation
that could explain the crushed forehead of this animal .

[Shazzoir]

Yeti, that's exactly the info I was referring to/looking for. Thank you!

With regard to the horses, were they partially 'eaten' or the carcases mauled about or anything? Horses are WAY flighty, and it would really take some power to restrain one, let alone get near one without it knowing - they are pretty alert and easily spooked. Just wondering why a Yowie might kill a horse, if it wasn't going to eat it, or maybe the Yowie was protecting young?

Sorry if I missed this info in your previous post, Yeti.

Shazz

[mikka]

I can only comment on the SEQ areas ive been in.

When you go into an "active area" its like going into a dead zone, you immediately notice the lack of animal numbers (ive never been in such an area and not have everyone notice and comment on this). When you also have reports of Yowies going after chickens and livestock from properties in the surrounding areas, I think you can imagine where some of the missing animals have gone.


As for your question Shazzoir, I couldn't even begin to answer, I think they are just like the aboriginals, eat whatever is available at the time. Nice thoughtful question

[Yeti]

Yeti, that's exactly the info I was referring to/looking for. Thank you!

With regard to the horses, were they partially 'eaten' or the carcases mauled about or anything? Horses are WAY flighty, and it would really take some power to restrain one, let alone get near one without it knowing - they are pretty alert and easily spooked. Just wondering why a Yowie might kill a horse, if it wasn't going to eat it, or maybe the Yowie was protecting young?

Sorry if I missed this info in your previous post, Yeti.

Shazz

I can't say for sure about these horses, I went out yesterday and found another dead one.
The horses are domesticated and quiet, which could be there down fall. They have been totally eaten, legs missing, heads missing from the rest of the carcass, ribs totally gone.
As for Yowies doing this very probable, the hairy ones do have to eat. But I'm in 2 minds about this. I'll keep you posted

[Yeti]

I can only comment on the SEQ areas ive been in.

When you go into an "active area" its like going into a dead zone, you immediately notice the lack of animal numbers (ive never been in such an area and not have everyone notice and comment on this). When you also have reports of Yowies going after chickens and livestock from properties in the surrounding areas, I think you can imagine where some of the missing animals have gone.


As for your question Shazzoir, I couldn't even begin to answer, I think they are just like the aboriginals, eat whatever is available at the time. Nice thoughtful question

Mikka,
Your right about that dead zone, I find the same here in my locations. When you start seeing Roos and deer in the area, you may as well pack up and go home. The chances of having an encounter drop dramatically.
In one of my areas its not uncommon to head out and not see an animal or hear a bird call and at the same time have the hair stand up on the back of your neck, absolutely freaky. BUT GOOD.

[iwanttobelieve]

Hi Yeti.

If Yowies are responsible for the dead horses and have been feeding on them would it be safe to assume they would return to the kill a few times to eat?

If you find a fresh one it might be worth staking out with some of your surveillance equipment.

[Yeti]

I have that in mind, the one I found yesterday wasn't all that fresh. I left a few cameras out on location yesterday not at the horse but in other areas. I'll do just that if I can come across a fresh one while the cameras are out there.