Yes, but it has more to do with the season changing than you being out earlier. Bobcats do a lot more marking when they're mating, and though it's a bit early for that, you might have a little bobcat love goin on where you hike.
But yeah, I've seen a lot more scat recently too.
All Scat, All the Time
Very interesting. That might explain the two bobcats I ran up on a few days before noticing all of the scat.
It looks like they're all done with their love making because the number of scat has dramatically decreased within the past two weeks.
And while we're on the subject of scat I came across some HUGE scat on the in the Santa Monica Mountains this past weekend. There was at least six on the same trail and most of them were pretty fresh and didn't have any berries in them. I wish I had put something next to them for a size reference but here are a few pictures anyways.
What do you think coyote or dare I say COUGAR?
It looks like they're all done with their love making because the number of scat has dramatically decreased within the past two weeks.
And while we're on the subject of scat I came across some HUGE scat on the in the Santa Monica Mountains this past weekend. There was at least six on the same trail and most of them were pretty fresh and didn't have any berries in them. I wish I had put something next to them for a size reference but here are a few pictures anyways.
What do you think coyote or dare I say COUGAR?
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
Oh my. That's some big poo. 
For some reason, the coyotes up there put out some big stuff. Without the 'scrape' I'd say it's coyote, but cougar is possible. The last photo looks more cougar-ish to me than the first two.
For some reason, the coyotes up there put out some big stuff. Without the 'scrape' I'd say it's coyote, but cougar is possible. The last photo looks more cougar-ish to me than the first two.
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
OK, I'm laughing at how detailed this is, but: The segments, and arrangement look cougar ish to me. Tapered ends is a coyote thing, but of course if you ate a pile of fur it would be expected that it would come out this way regardless of anatomy.
Coyotes tend to have a long 'log', where the cats make a pile of blunt ended segments.
Poo Feng Shui, if you will.
Coyotes tend to have a long 'log', where the cats make a pile of blunt ended segments.
Poo Feng Shui, if you will.
All three are likely coyote.
Scale reference would be helpful, like the shoe or hiking pole/basket of the hiker-photog, but we get some sense of scale:
pic 1: footprint (size unknown and variable, but odds-wise at least an adult size 8 (M)
pic two: leaves of the California live oak
Size and features c/w C. latrans
pic 3: again with a Calf. live oak leaf for scale (note the spiky edge). The scat has a high proportion of hair, less likely with cougar in this area, which will tend to be more selective about their intake (and with larger prey; different meat/organ vs hair ratio). Without a better exam, hard to be sure about the hair source, but more likely smaller prey--rodentia, squirrel, rabbit, which coyote especially will tend to consume with less discrimination. This bulk of indegestible hair also is a reason for the larger volume of the stool specimen.)
Cats will also consume such small prey "snacks" nearly in entirety, but their hair-filled scat will be of larger diameter for an equal bulk of volume than the yotes.
As an aside, the local urban coyote population, well-fed on garbage, fallen fruit, pet food and careless pets, have different scat patterns than their country cousins. And the country cousins will think nothing of coming down a couple-or-three miles to good eats, then retreat to wherever they feel comfortable. (dens in the nearby riverbed!)
(make that careless pet *owners*)
kind regards,
arocknoid
Scale reference would be helpful, like the shoe or hiking pole/basket of the hiker-photog, but we get some sense of scale:
pic 1: footprint (size unknown and variable, but odds-wise at least an adult size 8 (M)
pic two: leaves of the California live oak
Size and features c/w C. latrans
pic 3: again with a Calf. live oak leaf for scale (note the spiky edge). The scat has a high proportion of hair, less likely with cougar in this area, which will tend to be more selective about their intake (and with larger prey; different meat/organ vs hair ratio). Without a better exam, hard to be sure about the hair source, but more likely smaller prey--rodentia, squirrel, rabbit, which coyote especially will tend to consume with less discrimination. This bulk of indegestible hair also is a reason for the larger volume of the stool specimen.)
Cats will also consume such small prey "snacks" nearly in entirety, but their hair-filled scat will be of larger diameter for an equal bulk of volume than the yotes.
As an aside, the local urban coyote population, well-fed on garbage, fallen fruit, pet food and careless pets, have different scat patterns than their country cousins. And the country cousins will think nothing of coming down a couple-or-three miles to good eats, then retreat to wherever they feel comfortable. (dens in the nearby riverbed!)
(make that careless pet *owners*)
kind regards,
arocknoid
Thanks for the detailed explanation arocknoid. How would you describe the texture/look of cougar scat that's not the hair part?
Also, this coyotes home is in Point Mugu if anyone was wondering.
HikeUp, you hit gold!
The biggest poo I have yet seen was this today.
Definitely not as big as the one in your picture haha
Also, this coyotes home is in Point Mugu if anyone was wondering.
HikeUp, you hit gold!
The biggest poo I have yet seen was this today.
Definitely not as big as the one in your picture haha
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atomicoyote
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 2:16 pm
Last picture definately looks like a pile of bear poop. First two I'd guess are cougar crap, but not sure; is that hair sticking out of it, or weedy bits?.
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
Those are all bear scat piles. The first is mostly grass - the new, green grass that's growing right now is surprisingly high in carbs, and protein, even. The second pile looks like that bear was eating manzanita berries, which are just starting to ripen.
The size and shape of the first bunch is about right for mountain lion, but their scat will never have that much grass in it (if any) and I haven't ever seen one go on pavement - they're a little more, uh, discrete than that. (Says the girl talking about poop).
The size and shape of the first bunch is about right for mountain lion, but their scat will never have that much grass in it (if any) and I haven't ever seen one go on pavement - they're a little more, uh, discrete than that. (Says the girl talking about poop).
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stonehillnews
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 1:31 pm
Definitely not deer. I agree with your guesses. I’d lean towards bear.
Anyone? I'm thinking bear, a healthy, well-fed bear. The scat was still soft and moist, though it had rained 1.5 days prior. The texture was smooth and color dark. Looked like a bunch of broken briquettes.