Poop Quiz!

It's been ages since we've done a poop quiz and I've been looking for just the right poop.  

I found it on my back patio.   Dee-lightful.   I got the pics just before asking the kids to hose off all the brick.    The culprits have been hanging out far too often back there and it was getting....eeww.

I'm sure you understand.

These are not the culprits. 

These butterflies do, however, enjoy partaking of the mineral content of the ... offerings.   [We also see butterflies on carrion, which is disgusting, but there's no accounting for tastes.]   These offerings were somewhat wetter than the above, but left by the same creature.



So, let me know in the comments what is responsible for this poop butterfly buffet.

Poop Quiz

I finally found some more great poop so it's time for another poop quiz.  

WARNING:   This is a poop quiz.   These pics are of actual poop.   Poop happens.  It happens everywhere out here.    If you're uncomfortable with poop, then go right on to the next post and we'll meet you there.

For the rest of you:  

The rules:

1. Guess what made the poop.    
2. Comment. 
3. It's really more fun if you comment.   Seriously. 

Click the pics to blow them up for details. 

You'll notice in the pic that the poop is on asphalt.  It was on the road up the way from us.   The whole specimen was the size of a man's palm.  Not huge.

Notice the white shards.

Notice the hairs.

You can probably guess what left this and what it's last dinner was.  

Poop Quiz

Lily and I were walking around scouting out places for beehives and lo and behold, this is what we found.

I was so excited!  I've been thinking we needed another poop quiz.  

It was a sunny day so I took a pic of this specimen in the sun and in a shadow.  I didn't know which would give you the detail you need to make an ID.

You can blow the pics up for a closer look.

This is old poop.  I'm guessing it's been there since October.   It was big - really big.   As big as your hand with your fingers all stretched out. 

It's full of short hairy fibers.   I'm guessing grass. 

So, what do you think left it?


Whatever left this was big and probably eats mostly grass.   If you read the blog often, you might remember this story last fall.   I'm pretty sure that our specimen is related to that.

Poop Quiz

Warning:  This is serious poop.  It's not dainty little rabbit poop.   It's big poop.

From something pretty big. 

Which eats really interesting things.

And which pooped so neatly right on top of a sycamore leaf.   Huh.   I'm doubting that it did it on purpose. 

Yeah.

Anyway,  here it is.  This is a big sycamore leaf.   Big poop.

Notice the seeds.   Those are persimmon seeds.   This animal eats persimmons.  

Persimmons are good.   Sweet.  They fall on the ground and are easy to browse one.   The deer love them.   Racoons love them.   This critter loves them.  

Notice the hairs.   They're short, stiff hairs.   A bit stiffer than rabbit hairs.  I'm guessing deer hair.   This critter eats deer. 

Notice how dry it is.  It's from a steady diet of wild stuff.  No dog or cat food. 

It's big poop.   Like big dog poop.  Way too big for raccoon.  Too dry for dog.  It's gotta be coyote or wild dog.   

I'm guessing coyote.   We hear them around here - the lunatic yipping and howling.   It's creepy.   

Mostly they stay away from the houses.   Our Tibby keeps them away and we almost never even see them here, but we see them as we're driving to town now and then.   

But we know they're around, all the time.   This poop was at the edge of our road.   Just out of sight of the house where Tibby regularly patrols.   

There are so many deer around here that the coyote population is well fed.    The coyotes keep the deer population down, which helps our gardens.   As long as I don't have to see the coyotes, I'm not going to fuss, but the minute they start hanging around here in plain sight, they're toast. 

Poop Quiz

It's a been a while since our last poop quiz.  Do you remember how to play? 

Name that poop!  For a review, check back over last week's posts.

Answer below the fold.

Poop Quiz

Yeah, you thought I was kidding.   You won't make that mistake again....and no cheating!
Do you remember who left what poop?  [Answer below the fold]
Sample #1

Sample #2:

Poop Quiz

Nope, that's not a spelling error.    Today I'm showing you two very common types of poop that we find around here.  I found both of these samples today in our field while we were cutting and hauling wood to boil sap.  I'm also going to tell you which lovely animals leave it and as an added bonus, I'm going to show you how to tell the difference, so that the next time you see it somewhere by itself, you'll know who left it.

I'm sure you'll sleep better knowing this.   I know I do.

Also, there will be a quiz.   

Sample #1:   Deer

Notice the dark color and glossy finish.  That means it's fresh.   Older poop is lighter and sort of wrinkly - unless it's been raining, in which case it's just mushy. 

Notice the elongated shape - that's important.  This is football shaped poop.

This stuff is generally left in nice little piles like this.   How thoughtful of them.  


Sample #2: Rabbit

Notice the brown color and rough composition.   That's important.   It looks like bits of grass rolled in a mud ball.   It is indeed bits of grass, but that's not mud.

Notice the round shape.  There may be some that's slightly ovate, but generally this is round poop.  

Rabbit poop is sometimes in piles, like deer poop, but often not nearly as neat, as in the photo above.   See how it's scattered just a bit?

So, there you have it.  Now you know.