A Scat-tastic Mystery Game
Ever stumbled across poop on a trail and wondered what animal left it behind? Whether you’re hiking, hunting, or just exploring the outdoors, identifying scat can tell you a lot about the wildlife nearby — and even help keep you safe.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the most common animal scat you might find in the Interlake region. Use it as a reference the next time you’re out, so you can better understand your surroundings and know what animals might be sharing the trail with you. With a bit of observation and curiosity, you will be identifying animal visitors in no time!
Why do we look at scat?
The study of animal poop is more formally called Scatology. The collection and study of scat is a great way to learn about a species population, diet, health, territory and activities. Scientists and biologists have also been using the study of animal poop to inform and monitor endangered species. This is a helpful way of studying species without disturbing the animal.
How to Identify Animal Droppings:
There are a few key clues that can help you figure out who pooped here. The type of scat can guide the mystery behind the animal we may have come across. Try to look out for things like:
- Size & Shape: Is it tiny like a grain of rice or large and tubular? Pellet-shaped or a soft pile?
- Location: Is it near water, in the middle of a trail, or deep in the woods?
- Contents: Look for clues like seeds, fur, grass, or berries.
- Season: Scat changes with the seasons! Winter droppings are often drier and firmer, while summer scat can be softer due to increased water and fruit content.
*Disclaimer: While observing animal scat can be educational and fun, it is important not to touch it with bare hands. Animal droppings can carry diseases and/or parasites.*
Below is a helpful diagram to help you determine what kind of scat you may have found.
Common Manitoba Scat:
Now that we know there are differences in the size, shape, and colour, let’s investigate some of the usual suspects who may be travelling in the interlake region of Manitoba.
Beaver
- Scat Characteristics: Compact and tubular, typically 1–2 inches long. Often appears like clumps of compressed sawdust.
- Common Locations: Found near water sources such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.
- Fun Fact: A beaver’s diet influences the color of its scat—it often matches the local vegetation and wood types.
White-Tailed Deer
- Scat Characteristics: Small pellets, similar in size and shape to chocolate-covered raisins. Often found in clustered piles measuring 4.5cm in length.
- Fun fact: These deer are prolific poopers—averaging 10–15 bowel movements per day in fall and winter, and up to 30 times daily during spring and summer!
Moose
- Scat Characteristics: Oval-shaped pellets, roughly 1 inch in length.
- Fun Fact: Moose scat changes with the seasons—firmer pellets in winter, and softer, more plop-like droppings in summer, depending on moisture and diet.
Black Bear
- Scat Characteristics: Very large (around 5-12 inches long), tubular droppings, often deposited in piles. When bears feast on berries, their scat becomes rich in seeds—making it easy to tell what they’ve been snacking on
- Common Location: Along trails and near food sources like berry patches.
- Fun Fact: Black bears have the third-largest scat of all mammals in Canada after the moose and bison.
Skunk
- Scat Characteristics: Small, pellet-like droppings, often containing insect remains.
- Fun Fact: Unsurprisingly, skunk scat carries a distinct skunky odor—another clue to the culprit!
Coyote
- Scat Characteristics: rope-like and typically filled with hair and bones. Large and tubular usually around 3-5 inches long
- Common Locations: Found in the middle of roads, trailing crossings and other prominent spots – used as a way to communicate with other coyotes!
- Fun Fact: Coyote scat tends to be darker in the winter and a lighter colour in the summer based on the available food in their region.
Squirrel
- Scat Characteristics: similar in size to jellybeans or raisins, oblong shaped pellets (rounder than rat poop), typically scattered around to blend in
- Fun Fact: it is very common to mistake rat and mice droppings for squirrel droppings.
Stories of Scat
Animal scat is more than just nature’s leftovers – it is another way we are able to notice the wildlife around us. By paying attention to the size, shape, location and contents, you can figure out what wildlife may be lurking near you and gain insight into the animals you share the area with.
So next time you’re on a trail, don’t just look at the trees – look at the ground too. You never know what stories a pile of poop might tell!
How to Learn More
Download “WhoPoo” app to identify scat or tracks while you’re on the trails!