Tonka carp eating zebras- don't know extent

[stick500]

Was looking at the bones of about a 35" carp I shot last summer in an upper bay of Tonka and I noticed about a 5x2-inch pile of crushed zebra mussel shells where the stomach would have been! (I put the carp in a field last summer when I was too lazy to do anything with it- only the maggots got it, it wasn't scattered around).

So the question is, was that carp actively feeding on them the day it met my spear, or could the shells have been stuck in there for some time, from only occasional feeding on zebras, waiting to be digested? That of course I don't know.

I do understand carp have bony throats that can act as crushers for eating things like clams, crawdads, snails, etc.

The intact shells I saw I would describe as medium size, but most of the pile was finely crushed shells, looking like that you might find on a beach.

Wonder if any DNR or U of M people have been checking common carp bellies to see if they're feeding on them? I'll be checking stomach contents as soon as I get any fish with my bow or spear this year. Could be a very interesting twist to the zebra/carp story as it pertains to our lake ecosystems.

I do know that little six-inch carp love it when you crush some zebras on a rock for them- they zoom right in and snarf up the meat. Sunnies, too.