Whose Scat is That?

Animals leave clues to let us know where they’ve been. Search the woods carefully and you might find footprints in the dirt, chew marks on a nut, fur snagged on a thorn, and other, well, stuff.

Every animal eats. Every animal gets rid of wastes. Biologists call these droppings scat. If you open your eyes—and plug your nose—you can learn a lot from scat. The scat’s size, shape and location are clues to which animal left it behind. Animals that eat meat have tube-shaped scat. Animals that eat plants pass smaller, pellet-shaped scat. Aquatic animals leave scat near water. Climbing animals leave scat near trees. What’s in the scat tells you what the animal has eaten—another important clue.

Think you have the scoop on poop? Use the clues to match each species to its feces.

• Deer—Beware of raisins in the woods. They might be leftover plants I left behind.
• Rabbit—I nibble plants all day. All the fiber makes my scat look like chocolate puffs.
• Otter—I squirt scaly scat. It must be from all the fish and crayfish I consume.
• Coyote—No dog chow for me. I eat what I catch: rabbits, mice and other furry creatures.
• Raccoon—I never pass a chance to feast on berries, but I do pass their seeds.

Warning! Never touch scat. Some animals carry deadly diseases that can be passed to you through their droppings.