 |
Tracks next to it confirmed this as a fresh bobcat scat. This one lacks the segmented appearance that many bobcat droppings have. Not all scats are alike. They can vary in consistency and form depending on the diet of the bobcat. Individual animals never produce two scats that are exactly alike. This points out one of the difficulties with field guides. If you have only one drawing to compare to, it can be difficult to identify the scat you have found. You need to use other clues, such as habitat, where the scat was deposited, any nearby tracks, scrapes or lack of scrapes, etc. |
|
This very fresh bobcat scat was found along a trail I followed where the bobcat had been dragging some prey. It stopped and deposited this scat in the trail without dropping the prey it held in its mouth. The prey was large because the legs dragged as the bobcat walked. It was a female bobcat and she eventually took the prey to her young. Not wanting to disturb the cubs, I broke off tracking the bobcat at the point where their tracks joined hers. They are sensitive and my arrival could have caused her to relocate the young ones. |
 |
 |
This scat was deposited in some dusty sand at the edge of a dirt road in summer. Notice the bobcat tracks as well as the scrape mark. Bobcats do not always scrape next to their scats. They will also sometimes make scrapes without depositing scats near them. |
|
I first discovered the scat above in the dark. I used my flashlight to illuminate the scat and fresh tracks to get the photo at right. Using a flashlight helps because you can control the angle and the source of the light. Because this photo was taken at night, it has a slight yellowish cast, caused by the flashlight color. This was a combination of flashlight and headlights. |
 |
 |
The photo at left was the same scene, but take in daylight. Notice that the yellowish cast is gone, but the scrape mark isn't as prominent. If you can't control the light source, you just have to use what you find. The bobcat did not attempt to cover the scat. The scrape was perhaps made to help spread the scent around. This is how some mammals communicate with each other. Scents are very important to wild mammals. |
|
The photo at right was taken with flashlight alone. It was an LED light and provided a more white light source, so the photo lacks the yellowish tinge that the headlights caused. The scrape mark shows up better in this photo than the daylight photo above because I could manipulate the angle of the light and get the best angle for the photo. |
 |
 |
Bobcat scat and tracks in dust. |
|
This beautiful bobcat scrape was found at the top of a slope on a muddy dirt road. The bobcat used this location very likely because another old road joined the first at this point. Bobcats often deposit their scats at trail junctions. This is a behavior they share with other species, such as coyotes and foxes. |
 |
 |
This fresh bobcat scat was found, along with some tracks, at the edge of a dirt road early one morning. It has a pointed tip, which is more typical of canine scats. However, this usually depends on which piece of scat leaves the animal's body last. The muscles can squeeze the tips into pointed shapes like this. The tracks next to it confirmed it as bobcat scat. |
| A fresh bobcat scat on some grass. There was a scrape next to this scat. |
|
 |
This is the "typical" appearance of bobcat scats in field guides. The classic segmented appearance with blunt ends. However, bobcats don't read the field guides. As you can see from all the scats above, this appearance is not really that typical. |
|
Location of the scat above. This placement in the center of trails or roads is common for bobcat. Other species do this as well. bobcats also have a tendency to place their scats at trail junctions. |
 |
 |
|
| Bobcat scat on a trail | |
 |
|
| This bobcat scat has a large scrape next to it. | |
