While canids do best with a significant amount of meat in their diets, they also supplement that diet with fruits, berries and other plant materials.įelids, or felines, such as mountain lions and bobcats are obligate carnivores, meaning they absolutely need a diet of meat to survive. Different diets will change the appearance of their scat. And diet can change how scat looks for every species so there are a lot of variables to consider out there!Ĭanids, or canines, like coyotes and foxes have diverse diets that can change with seasons and resource availability. Other animals on the Preserve produce large and variable scats, all inviting closer inspection to learn more about life on the Preserve. Wallaby scats are also pointier than kangaroos. They are very similar to wallaby poos, but larger. Also a wider photo of the scat and it's surroundings can help with identification - is it in the middle of a road, off to the side, next to a tree, near the water, are there scratch marks nearby? Descriptions: Kangaroos have small, round, black poos and usually leave several in the same place. Scale is extremely important as identifying scat under the best of circumstances can be challenging considering the wide range of factors that are involved. When photographing scat, we place the ruler next to the scat and take several pictures from different angles before moving the scat. We also always carry a camera and a 6-inch ruler. Of course we're particularly interested in mountain lion scat and the camera crew carries a scat collection kit in our go pack so if we come across scat that is questionable - large, thick, tubular segments about 1 inch in diameter or more, or one long piece with blunt ends and some scratch marks nearby, for instance - we'll be able to scoop it up for DNA analysis to determine if it is indeed mountain lion scat. But the only real ways to know which scat belongs to who if identification seems a close call, is if you see the animal defecate or by collecting the scat and checking it's DNA. This unique, glass-topped display provides real examples of these. The thing to know about all scat is that it comes in many forms, colors and sizes and identifying scat can be challenging! Often scat can seem definitely distinctive and best guesses can be correct. By recognizing these animal clues, it is possible to conclude which animals are in the area. Scat provides important information about what wildlife is in the area, what these animals are eating and what kinds of resources are available. Being out on the Preserve, walking where wildlife walks, the camera crew comes across a lot of scat.
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