Hey Mike,
Powerful Owls which live in the coastal strip between Mackay and the SA border, are our largest owls (about 70cm tall with a wingspan of 140cm), but I wouldn't think them quite capable of disgorging pellets of this size - pellet size is normally 3cm to about 5cm in length.
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_f ... 930124.pdf
The fur could be from a possum, definitely one of their favoured food items, but the broken bones look too big - and owls can't chew, either. Were the bones broken or whole, do you know?
If the bones were broken up this would probably indicate the animal/s was not eaten whole and therefore, this is not be from an owl, monitor or other large lizard or snake - Lace Monitors have been recorded as disgorging whole rabbits.
Could this disgorged pellet be a hairball from a cat or other large chewing/toothed carnivore? Dogs including dingos, are not usually troubled with hairballs, everything just goes straight through. Cats however, are well known for hoicking up hairballs ('Doing the hairball Haka' - sorry any NZ folks, no offence intended).
Foxes will scavenge sheep carcases, but again, aren't known for coughing up hairballs.
The other alternative is that it's a scat, and the rain has washed all the 'biosolids' off, but it looks like a pellet to me, too Mike. Were there any insect carapaces or other stuff like feathers in it?
Very interesting nonetheless, and I look forward to seeing what others have to add.
Kind regards,
Shazz
