Identification of animal spoor

[boisdevie]

I haven't got a photo unfortunately. Often I find animal poo on a small countryside road by my house in Northern France. The poo is long a bit like dog poo but far smaller - I'd say about 50mm long. It seems quite soft (unlike rabbit droppings) and seems dark purple in colour as though it's composed of the remains of berries of some kind. Would that be poo from something like a weasel? I assume fox poo would be larger. Local terrain is woods and pasture.

 

[Goose]

I dunno
I have just been reading one of the downloadable articles on here and this one http://www.bushcraftuk.com/downloads/pdf/tracking.pdf covers tracking and identifying scat, you may find an answer there, this is a copy paste that may help

Tubular - Dog Family, raccoon, skunks, oppossum, wolverines, bears
Tear drop or Tapered - Cat Family
Fattened Threads - Weasel Family
M&M’s - Rabbits & Hares
Oblong, may have nipple at end - Deer
Pencil Lead - Rodents
Fox - Tubular & Tapered at both ends - between dog and cat

I keep forgetting about that this is a website not just a forum, there is some good stuff on there too!

PS click the leaf at the top above where it says community!

 

[hammock monkey]

was there a lot of it around? situation of where it is etc will probably help

i love camera phones for this kind of thing, although photgraphing tracks isnt the easiest thing

 

[Matt Weir]

Sounds like an unfortunate midget suffering from IBS and piles

Sorry.

Matt.

 

[bent-stick]

..and if it tastes of nuts it must be squirrels...

 

[gregorach]

About the only one I can identify reliably is wombat - it's cuboid!

 

[bear knights]

about 50mm long. It seems quite soft (unlike rabbit droppings) and seems dark purple in colour as though it's composed of the remains of berries of some kind. Would that be poo from something like a weasel? I assume fox poo would be larger.

without piccie, sounds most like a hedgehog. hedgehogs manage to squeeze some sizeable poop out and easily reaches 50mm, especially in France where I've seen it larger than over here. Hogs also omnivores so will see berries in it. most likely to see the kind of oily reflective purply/blue found on its prey (insect wings), when you move it in your hand. weasel poop incidently is pretty much mouse sized as it breaks apart and comes out zig zaggy. must do some kind of dance as it goes.

 

[Brocktor]

yes hedgehog maybe because according to my ray mears book only the hedgehog's poopie whoopie gets close to 5cm at 4cm of all british wild animals. this is what the book says - 1cm x 4. one end pointed often black and shiny.
i havent seen a hedgehog for years

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=hedgehog+poo&gbv=2

 

[moocher]

not even on the roads.?.we had a small one stay the night under a dwarf weeping willow in our front garden last autumn.next day it was gone never seen it again.

 

[bear knights]

made a lean to and slept under the stars with a hog once. woke me up by trying to nudge under me whilst searching for food. we spent hours pointing out orion and the plough and telling stories of how we got our scars.

 

[Brocktor]

i wish i had a hog friend