Which animal has scat is this? - Ask Extension
Found this on my deck. I have no idea what kind of critter could have left it.
Knowledgebase
Which animal has scat is this? #868803
Asked May 16, 2024, 8:11 PM EDT
Found this on my deck. I have no idea what kind of critter could have left it.
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi!
This is a tough one because the sun may have melted it/dried it up a bit. We typically look at the form of the dropping to id. I see a taper in it. Tapered scat comes from mammals like skunks, opossum, fox, coyote. But I am having a hard time seeing any items in it, like seeds, bones etc., which helps us identify. My best educated guess would be skunk or opossum. Take a look at some soft soils around your deck for some footprints? Otherwise, we may have to wait until your friend comes for another visit. Hopefully they were just stopping by and on their way but if you have something on your deck that may be attracting animals, they may revisit.
Nice dichotomous key for scat ID:
https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/Education/NatureHome/MI_Scat_Dichotomous_Key_images.pdf?rev=fa060a583a0e4fe2896d16b9c8116893
Let us know if you need any more help if you discover more!
This is a tough one because the sun may have melted it/dried it up a bit. We typically look at the form of the dropping to id. I see a taper in it. Tapered scat comes from mammals like skunks, opossum, fox, coyote. But I am having a hard time seeing any items in it, like seeds, bones etc., which helps us identify. My best educated guess would be skunk or opossum. Take a look at some soft soils around your deck for some footprints? Otherwise, we may have to wait until your friend comes for another visit. Hopefully they were just stopping by and on their way but if you have something on your deck that may be attracting animals, they may revisit.
Nice dichotomous key for scat ID:
https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/Education/NatureHome/MI_Scat_Dichotomous_Key_images.pdf?rev=fa060a583a0e4fe2896d16b9c8116893
Let us know if you need any more help if you discover more!
Ok, I guess I left out lot of details. We're in Commerce Township between Commerce Lake and Wolverine Lake near the headwaters of the Huron River. The scat is about 3.5inches in diameter. It does have a taper in the middle. There were no bones, fur or feathers in it. It looked like some kind of purple berry was eaten, but we don't have any on our lot. However, it did stain the wood with a black ring. We are about 1/4 mile from a wetland area, the headwaters of the Huron River, with a stream, mix of oak, pine, and bushes.
Thanks for more detail! Lots of animals eat berries, including coyote (believe it or not). Being by a wetland opens up some possibilities from water dwelling mammals but plenty of other common mammals will visit water, too. Since it is pretty black with berry seeds, I am starting to lean towards a raccoon. Their droppings can be darker than others and they love berries as well as hanging out around water to catch frogs, etc. Cannot say for sure but perhaps we are a little closer to the culprit?
