Originally Posted by
eatmorfish
Not to mention they eat amazing amounts of zebra mussels.
A Coffey County 2# blue yielded 2/3 rds of a coffee cup-full amount of Z's!!
I closely examined many blues lately to determine they somehow "extract" the "soft goodies" from inside the Z-shells and eliminate the hard shells from their anal openings. Within 1/4" of the opening, the shells are still mostly intact --- and sharp! Blues must have very, very durable skin.
On the other hand, based on exploration of the intestional tract on a freshwater drum, while not as "full" of Z's, they seem to be able to grind the Z's into small bits.