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How to Identify Wildlife Feces

Depending on which region you're in, the environment can be a very rich and interesting place. In some areas, such as the Amazon Rainforest, new species are discovered every few days. With such an extensive biodiversity in the world, identifying animals correctly often can prove difficult. There are a variety of ways to identify wildlife, which, believe it or not, include examining their droppings. However, this can be a difficult task for the untrained eye, so it's important to heed a few basic steps when examining wildlife feces.

Things You'll Need

Latex gloves
Notebook
Writing utensil

Instructions

- 1
  Identify the area in which the feces is located (forestry, urban, suburban, rural, for example). Look at the habitat (grassy, forested, water-side, hilly, for example). Narrowing the location and habitat will provide clues as to which animal you're searching for.
- 2
  Examine the fecal matter's length and width. Take notes on its specific characteristics, such as whether the material is pellet-shaped, flat or segmented. The dimensions of the feces can provide important clues in determining its animal of origin.
- 3
  Look for any hair follicles or food remnants in the feces. Often, food will go through the digestive tract and not be completely digested. This will give you clues as to what the animal ate, providing a critical clue for identification.
- 4
  Note when you found the droppings and estimate how old they are. The time of day that they were left will help you identify the animal.
- 5
  Examine the color of the droppings. In general, color rarely provides clues as to the species of animal, because it's more a reflection of the animal's diet than anything else. However, if the feces is white, that could indicate bird or reptile droppings, which would help narrow your search.

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