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Wild Animals/scoop on poop
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QUESTION: One of your other inquires wrote,"An animal keeps coming on our deck and leaving behind a small pile of berry like poop. It is purple in color and stains the wood. It has to be bigger than a cat but we can't figure out what it is. Got any ideas? Thanks. " I'm asking the same, I'm in Ohio in a country setting. We have all kinds of critters but have not seen this until this year and there is lots of it. It's like we are the poop place. Yuck!
Please help if you can. I've been looking a scat and poop and have not found any matches online.
Thank You!
ANSWER: Dear Marge
Thank you for your question. There are various animals that produce poop that contains lots of "berries". Please can you send me some measurements (length x width) of individual droppings and I'll try and identify possible culprits.
All the best
Jonathan
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I took a picture for you of a recent dropping. It appears to be loose, not like a dogs poop. I didn't have a ruler so I used a pop can to show size. There are smaller droppings and have been larger. My neighbor is telling me it's a rabbit, and I tell her it's a mighty big rabbit then.
)
There are 5 different dropping in this area, and they look to be different ages since some are drying out and one looks to be fermenting.
Dear Marge
Thanks for the information and the photo. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yNNHlYOAqtsC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=droppings+ gives a lot of clues about droppings. I gave a brief identification guide to carnivore droppins at http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/Small-animal-droppings.htm and this may be useful. http://www.mammalsociety.org/statelists/ohmammals.html is a list of mammals found in Ohio. The droppings were not made by a rabbit - they are too big and are the wrong shape.
One possibility is the American black bear, which often contains berries in its droppings (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yNNHlYOAqtsC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=droppings+). There are some photos at http://www.bear.org/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid= and a couple of them look similar to your photo. Please note that black bears are quite uncommon in Ohio.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Cf-oJqYJBOMC&pg=PA456&lpg=PA456&dq=droppings+ gives photos of fox and wolf droppings. The red fox is common than the grey fox in Ohio and is a strong possibilty. The wolf has been wiped out in Ohio, but the coyote is common and is another possibility.
While the fox and coyote are far more common than the bear, the droppings seem more similar to those made by an American black bear.
All the best
Jonathan
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Answers by Expert:
Jonathan Wright
Expertise
I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.
Experience
I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.
Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.
Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group
Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.
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