-
- Date Palm Scat
-
- Loquat Scat
-
- Scat with animal prey
-
- Loquat scat
-
- dried out scat with animal prey — notice it’s almost all fur
Coyote scat is not beautiful, but it is a tell-tale sign that coyotes are around. I am adding a blurb here, just for the record. Most coyote scat is long with rope-like twists. It usually is about 3/4″ thick, it is usually sectioned for a total of five to eight inches in length and it ends in an elongated point — this is a gross generalization. It has this form because it is loaded with fur. If the scat is broken apart, the fur becomes even more obvious — not like a dog’s feces. Coyotes eat entire animals, so the indigestible fur is expelled. Coyote scat has a variety of looks: one form I don’t have here is a soft globby pile, often with seeds. Coyotes are opportunistic eaters, which means they will eat whatever they can; and what goes in must come out. Coyote scat has a very distinct “musty” smell — it does not smell at all like dog poop. It’s color runs from greenish to blackish, but I’ve also seen some brown. Unpleasant though the topic might be, coyotes suffer from bouts of diarrhea now and then. I’ve wondered if this is caused by carrion that has gone bad, or by some human food that they might have found.
Coyote scat has been used by Professor Ben Sacks of UC Davis. He has extracted the DNA from the scat to identify what larger group the coyote belongs to, and therefore from where it originated. So scat has very high profile scientific uses! Owl pellets — the undigested portions of an eaten animal that is coughed up by owls — is also studied in detail to help determine exactly what the owl eats. Coyote scat is studied in this way, too.
Jul 13, 2024 @ 22:55:17
Thanks so much for this helpful confirmation that we did have a coyote visit in our back yard. Layla the cat will be inside for now. Iv’e seen coyotes on my hikes and what I thought was their scat, now I know for sure.
Boise, Idaho near the edge of town and the high desert.
Aug 07, 2024 @ 17:55:25
Yes, thank you. This is very helpful.
Oct 16, 2024 @ 23:17:53
Thanks for the information……I’m having issues with possible coyotes becoming very comfortable spending time in my backyard
Oct 18, 2024 @ 02:34:51
Hi Val — Keep your eye open for them, and when they come, you should bang pots and pans together loudly as you approach them, never getting too close or cornering them. Also, make sure you don’t have any attractants in your yard: food of any kin, bird food, dog food, compost. Even fruit trees attract them. Let me know if this works! Janet
Nov 26, 2024 @ 18:20:30
Do I need to do any action for this? Is it spreading virus or germs? It 💩 ed in front of my door in front yard. We live next to the creek. I saw the video it came from there. Or is the poop repel other creatures?
Nov 27, 2024 @ 21:39:31
Hi Jae — I would pick it up in a doggie bag and toss it. It’s no more contaminating than dog poop. The coyote who deposited it is also *marking* with urine, which is what repels other, outsider coyotes, from coming through, so the scat doesn’t need to be left there as a repellent. Hope this helps! Janet