When you hear the word "scat," you might think of this:
“Scat” is the musical term for vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables. Linguists haven’t been able to definitively trace the origin of that meaning of scat.
There is consensus though that it does not have roots in the scientific word “scat” as used to describe manure, dung, doodoo, and … well, you know.
For students of wildlife, scat is very helpful. It tells the story of which creature has been in the area. It’s the next best thing to seeing the actual animal.
Size, shape and contents help narrow down which critter left the deposit.
Bears eat a variety of foods throughout the year, from greens to meat to birdseed, so the look of their scat also varies. But large size is a key indicator!
If it’s smaller and contains fur and small bones, that indicates a predator. Pointed ends? Coyote or fox. Blunt ends? bobcat.
Toads, porcupines and even insects have their own distinctive calling cards. Caterpillars, for example, leave pellets shaped like little hand grenades. It’s called frass.
You’ve probably seen dark droppings with a white cap. A bird left those. Birds don’t urinate. Instead, they form a uric acid paste –the white stuff—that is excreted along with the dark fecal material.
Excreting their nitrogenous wastes as paste rather than liquid helps birds maintain their fluid balance.
A lot of information is embodied in scat, so take a closer look. But here’s a pro tip: Don’t handle animal wastes.
