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How to Identify Bear Feces

Animal feces, more commonly known as "scat," provides important clues about the areas frequented by these animals, their recent diet and sometimes even the danger they may pose to you. If you live or spend time in areas where bears are common, you should learn to recognize their scat and use it to gather clues about their activity. Learning to do so could greatly improve your safety, especially in wilderness areas or in areas where bears are known to be problematic.

Things You'll Need

Ruler
Sturdy stick or rod
Camera (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Look at the overall form of the scat -- fresh bear feces has a cylindrical shape, whereas deer feces may appear similar but is in the form of many small pellets. If you have a camera, take a photo of the scat for future reference and for comparison with Internet sources. Over time, old bear scat will lose its shape, but can still be identified by overall size and content with practice.
- 2
  Place a ruler next to the scat for reference--include the ruler in photographs. Determine if the scat is more than 1 inch in diameter -- black bear scat is usually at least 1 inch in diameter, whereas coyote, raccoon or other scat is smaller. Grizzly bear scat is often more than 2 inches in diameter.
- 3
  Examine the content of the scat, using a stick or rod to break it apart. Bear scat consists of approximately 80 percent plant matter, such as plant seeds and grasses, but may also include insect parts and bits of animal fur. Scat that does not include some plant material likely belongs to a coyote or other carnivore, whereas scat that does not have a clear tubular shape and consists wholly of seeds may belong to a deer instead.

Animals & Science