Tracking Animals: Poop, Tracks, and Signs

Poop or Scat

Many animals will use scat to mark their territories, this is more common in predators. They like to poop on top of rocks and in the middle of trails to let everyone know this is their hunting ground. I have also seen Coyotes poop as trail markers for them to use as a guide. There can be many trails in a small area that all the wildlife use, but the Coyotes will mark a specific trail to make travel more efficient.

Raccoons use a latrine method. They will pick a spot to poop away from where they sleep and eat.

Sometimes you may come across black tarry poop. This is caused by bleeding in the upper portion of the animal's gastrointestinal tract. It is also caused after predators have ingested a sufficient amount of blood.

	​Bird of Prey - much larger than normal bird poop. Birds don't produce urine, but actually Uric acid thus forming a white sticky paste. So the white part is actually bird pee and the dark center is the poop. Birds of prey are unable to digest bones and fur which they will regurgitate as a pellet.
	​Black Bear (Southern California) - During the summer months there's not much food available for bears, so they tend to eat anything and everything.
	​Bobcat - black or dark brown and looks similar to a coyote’s dropping. Its shape is tubular and typically looks like a long string with shorter ones by the sides. A bobcat’s poop is about three to five inches long with blunt ends and segments in-between
	​Fox - scat can vary in size and shape depending on the species of fox and its diet, but it is typically twisted or spiral in shape and can be up to 2 inches in length.
	​Deer - pellets are usually uniform in shape and size, and are often cylindrical or oval-shaped with a diameter of about 0.5 to 1 inch.
	​Coyote - scat can vary in size and shape depending on the coyote's diet, but it is typically cylindrical in shape and can be up to 2 inches in diameter.
	​Grizzly Bear - scat can vary in size and shape depending on the bear's diet, but it is typically cylindrical in shape and can be up to 6 inches in diameter
	​Cougar - scat can vary in size and shape depending on the cougar's diet, but it is typically cylindrical in shape and can be up to 4 inches in length. Dark brown or black in color and containing fur.

Tracks

Animal tracks are the imprints left behind by an animal's feet, hooves, or paws on a surface, such as soil, mud, snow, or sand. They can provide information about an animal's species, size, behavior, and movements.

	​Black Bear - flat-footed, large, and rather human-like in appearance. Unlike human feet, however, bears have their largest toe to the outside of their feet, their feet are more robust and rounder. Bears show 5 toes on both front and hind tracks. The front paw is rectangular compared to the back paw which appears shorter and blocky.
	Bobcat - larger than a domestic cat and measure approximately two inches. Their front feet are just slightly bigger than their rear feet. Bobcats are diagonal walkers and direct register, which means that their rear feet land in their front footprints.
	​Cougar - typically larger than those of coyotes, and they have a more distinctive shape. Cougar tracks are usually about 3-4 inches in length and 3-4 inches in width. They have four toes on both their front and hind paws, and the toes are usually spread out in a symmetrical pattern.
	​Coyote - oval-shaped and measure approximately 2.5 inches long by 2 inches wide. They register four toes with claws in both front and hind feet. Their tracks are relatively symmetrical, though they can show a slight lead toe/claw that allows left and right feet to be differentiated
	Crow - three toes facing forward and one toe facing backward and about 2-3 inches long
	​Deer - heart-shaped with two toes or hoofs that are thick at the bottom and narrow at the top.
	​Grizzly Bear - flat-footed, large, and rather human-like in appearance. Unlike human feet, however, bears have their largest toe to the outside of their feet, their feet are more robust and rounder. Bears show 5 toes on both front and hind tracks. The front paw is rectangular compared to the back paw which appears shorter and blocky. Grizzlies have longer claws and more negative space between the toes and rear pads than black bear tracks due to the fact black bears have more fur between their toes.
	​Quail - tracks are found in a line, one after the other, and are about an inch long. They can fly but they like to walk around and only fly when threatened.
	​Rabbit - two short front feet that leave round circles as prints and two longer back feet that they use to jump off of. The back feet leave prints that are elongated.
	​Racoon - appears hand-like with the rear foot being longer. The front toes are longer than the rear toes. Raccoons have a unique walking gait that results in a trail pattern where front and hind tracks from opposite sides of the body register next to each other
	​Snake - if the soil is soft enough snakes will leave tracks as they slither by. These tracks are from Garter Snakes.
	​Tarantula Hawk - Even insects will leave tracks. Tarantula Hawks will go from hole to hole looking for a victim.

Signs

Other than Scat and tracks animals can also leave other signs of their presence, like; bones, feathers, fur, etc. The case of bones or clumps of fur can indicated preditors that hunt other animals.

	​Bones - an obvious sign that something died. Predators will sometimes carry bones around to chew on or play with. This is common with Coyotes and Wolves.
	​Feathers - Birds will "Preen" their feathers to help realign or maintain them and sometimes they will remove damaged ones
	​Owls Pellet - Pellets are mostly associated with owls but all birds of prey use this pratice to regurgitat items that can not be digested like; Fur, bones, and teeth. Based on what is in the pellet can help tell what bird it came from. Owls tend to eat their prey whole so you will see a complete skelleton or skelletons in one pellet.
	​Fur - Mammals regularly shed fur seasonally, but larger clumps of fur can indicate a fight or attack from a predator.
	​Clumps of feathers - unlike preening, large clumps of feathers usually mean a kill from a predator.
	Blood - Signs can mean an injury but large amounts can mean a kill site. Canine predators will usually eat the prey at the kill site. But feline predators like pumas will take the kill to another site to hide.
	​Scraps - Both Cougars and Bears will use trees as a marker of their territory. They will stand on their back legs and use their front paws to scratch the tree as high as possible. This not only shows the tree has been claimed but also how tall they are. This practice is also common with male Deer, Elk, and Moose. They will use their antlers to scrap trees and branches for markings and scrap the velvet off. The image is of moose scrapings on a tree in Alaska.

Animal signs and tracks can provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of wildlife. Whether you are a seasoned tracker or just starting to learn about animal behavior, understanding the trail of wildlife can help you get a better understanding of the species that live in your area and the role they play in the ecosystem. So the next time you are out exploring the great outdoors, keep your eyes peeled for signs of wildlife, and see what you can learn from the trail they leave behind.

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