Great Read: Reading Animal Signs - AMC Outdoors

Story by Allison W. Bell

AMC Outdoors, September/October 2012

A walk in the woods rewards us with glimpses of forest animals—a scampering chipmunk, a prowling toad, a trailside salamander. But sightings of lesser-known creatures are, by definition, rare. Many woodland animals are not active during the daylight, and most are shy about contact with humans. Typical hikers move with enough stomp and clomp to warn every listening thing of their approach. If we do spot an animal through the trees, it is likely to be moving quickly—away.

DID YOU KNOW?
Do not handle scat with your bare hands. Animal waste can transfer disease via contact or inhalation. Look. Use a stick. Take a photo.

Often, the presence of wild creatures is revealed to us only in the signs they leave behind. Tracks, nests, food scraps, and shed feathers or antlers are all clues to the ways and means of forest animals. And so is their scat.

Poop, feces, droppings, dung—scat by any other name will smell as sweet. OK, not quite sweet, but you may be surprised that scat of the non-domesticated kind does not often present olfactory offense. If you can get past a basic level of squeamishness, a study of these animal signs will reveal much about life in the woods.

We can analyze animal diets and habits by examining their scat. Wild woodland creatures eat local and eat (mostly) fresh, although some may contrive to mix human food into their menu.

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