title: Carcass feeding as a cryptic foraging mode in round goby Neogobius melanostomus.
abstract: Round gobies Neogobius melanostomus were observed readily consuming soft tissue from carcasses of larger fishes under both laboratory and field conditions. Consumption normally progressed in a typical sequence, starting with soft and easily accessible tissues such as the eyes, followed by puncture of the abdominal cavity, gut consumption and then muscle consumption. Carcass feeding has not previously been seen in N. melanostomus and has potential consequences for transfer of nutrients and contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polačik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jurajda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blažek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janáč
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D058865:Introduced Species; D010473:Perciformes / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: diet; food web; necrophagy; trophic ecology