Feral Cats Steal Milk from Northern Elephant Seals
Insights gleaned from studying cats
Thievery occurs in settings that some people might find surprising. This study documents one such setting:
"Feral Cats Steal Milk from Northern Elephant Seals," Juan-Pablo Gallo-Reynoso and Charles Leo Ortiz, Therya, vol. 1, no. 3, 2010, pp. 207-211.
The authors report:
Feral cats abound at Isla de Guadalupe; they forage on birds, mice, and placental tissue as well as carcasses of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and stranded cetaceans such as Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris). We have found that feral cats are also drinking elephant seal’s milk, stealing it directly from the teats of nursing females. The amount of energy obtained this way might be significant for feral cats in the northern elephant seal rookeries on the island.
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