Bear scat with another type of scat on it? - Ask Extension
For wildlife folks: I found black bear scat near my home in Rhododendron. Nothing surprising -- lots of bears in the area. This time, I found a large ...
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Bear scat with another type of scat on it? #879810
Asked August 01, 2024, 6:20 PM EDT
For wildlife folks: I found black bear scat near my home in Rhododendron. Nothing surprising -- lots of bears in the area. This time, I found a large bear scat, fairly fresh, with a smaller scat right on top -- see photo. The large scat has lots of seeds and berries, and the smaller one also has a few seeds and berries, but it's light brown, not black in color. Could the smaller one be from a bear cub? Raccoon? Bobcat? Definitely not a house cat.
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
I expect this is all bear, just different days of diet sampling. Bears are known to sometimes re-use defecation sites, what Dr. Jamie Jonkel calls "poop castles." Jamie is a second-generation bear scientist and manager, and he was interviewed extensively about bear scats https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/bear-scat-identification/
BTW, the "poop castles" part comes quite a ways into the article.
BTW, the "poop castles" part comes quite a ways into the article.
Thanks! A very different scat compared to the first. Much obliged for your help.... Steve
