You might come across some droppings on the trail and wonder "what kind of animal is this from?". In this guide, you will learn how to identify bear scat and distinguish it from other droppings you commonly find on the trail.
Note you are more likely to stumble upon scat than an actual bear. Though they make for a great fireside tale, encounters can be relatively rare.
BLACK BEAR SCAT: How to Identify
If you find scat that looks like it came from Andre the Giant, then you may have stumbled upon bear scat. Bear scat is tubular like human feces but larger (5 to 12-inches long and 1.5 to 2.5-inches diameter). Black bear scat is most often found along trails or at the base of trees or plants.
1. SHAPE AND SIZE: Black bear scat is often tubular with a blunt end and a slight taper. It may appear as a loose "cowpile" when the bear is feeding heavily on fruits and berries.
2. CONTENTS: Black bear scat is usually filled with vegetation and insect parts in the spring and early summer. When berry season hits, scat is deposited as loose blobs that are filled with berries and seeds. Bears are omnivores so you may find the remains of deer or moose calves and small mammals.
3. COLOR: Scat color can range from black to brown when the bear is eating a mixed diet and green when eating mostly grasses.
CC BY-SA 2.0 | Den Smith
GRIZZLY BEAR SCAT: How to Identify
Black bear scat and brown/grizzly bear scat are so similar that they are difficult to tell apart. In general, scat from the brown/grizzly bear tends to be larger (2-inches or more in diameter) than black bear scat.
1. SHAPE AND SIZE: Similar to the black bear, grizzly bear scat is fibrous and tubular when the bear is consuming vegetation in the spring and early summer. The scat can turn black, moist and smelly when the bear turns to meat as a food source and globular when consuming berries.
2. CONTENTS: Grizzly scat contains berries, vegetation, roots/tubers, cutworm moth parts and remains from moose, elk, mountain goats, and sheep. Coastal brown bears will have fish parts in their scat.
3. COLOR: Scat color can range from black to brown when the bear is eating a mixed diet and green when eating mostly grasses.
CC BY-SA 3.0 | Fred Bauder
Know the Bear's Habitat
One of the easiest ways to distinguish your bear scat is by simply knowing what part of the country you are in. There are only a few regions that contain both black and grizzly.
BLACK BEAR: The most common bear is the black bear, which is found in 40 US states.
GRIZZLY BEAR: The brown bear, which includes the grizzly and Kodiak bear, is located in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. In the US, brown bears are coastal bears, while grizzlies are found inland. Kodiaks are the biggest of the brown bears and found only in Alaska. There also are polar bears which are located in Alaska living along the shore or on sea ice.
Image Credit: geology.com
Other Signs of Bears in the Area
Bears leave behind markers other than scat. All bears have five rounded toes and a wide heel pad that produces an oval-shaped print. Their tracks are larger than most other animals and easy to spot in soft mud or a dusty dry trail. On trees, you may also see bite marks, fur from rubbing and claw marks from bears climbing to get nuts, fruits or other edibles.
ANIMAL SCAT: How to Identify (and Distinguish from)
COYOTE
Coyote scat is tubular like a bear but smaller in size. The scat is 5-inches long and 3/4-inch in diameter. It is deposited as a tubular twisted rope with a twisted end which distinguishes it from the straight blunt tubes of the bear. There is usually fur and bones along with fruits, berries and vegetation. Coyotes often leave scat as a territorial marker and drop their piles in the middle of trails.
CC BY 2.0 | Flickr (born1945 )
RACCOON
Raccoons usually defecate in the same area creating latrines that are overflowing with scat. Raccoon scat is blunt and small measuring only 2 to 3 inches long and 1/2-inch wide. Raccoons are omnivores, so their scat is filled with seeds, insects, nuts, and fur. DO NOT TOUCH raccoon scat as it may contain an infectious roundworm.
CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons (Jomegat)
BOBCAT
Bobcat scat also is tubular like a bear, but smaller, rounder and distinctly segmented, which is characteristic for feline scat. It is very dense and won't compress when you step on it. The scat is 3 to 5 inches long and 0.5 to 1-inch in diameter. It contains fur and bones along with fruit, berries and grass. You also may see a scrape from the bobcat trying to cover up its scat.
CC BY 2.0 | Flickr (born1945 )
COUGAR
Cougar scat is similar to bobcat scat but is larger averaging 4 to 6 inches long and 1 to 1.5-inches in diameter. It is segmented and may have a blunt end on one side and a taper on the other. Cougars are carnivores so their scat will contain fur and bones. There also may be scrapes near the scat.
CC BY 2.0 | Bettina Arrigoni
BISON/ COW
Bison and cattle produce globular scat like a bear, so you need to look closely at the content to tell them apart. Cattle and bizon graze primarily on vegetation, so their scat is fibrous from the grasses they consume. Globular bear scat is mostly berries.
DOG
Last, but not least is man's best friend. Dog scat is tubular like the bear, but is smaller than bear droppings (less than 1-inch in diameter). Like most canine scat, it is twisted with tapered ends. When fresh, it has a strong smell.
DEER/ ELK
Members of the deer family produce pellet-shaped scat that is much different from a bear. Deer and elk may sometime produce globular scat, but you can recognize the pellets even when the scat is deposited in a clump.
CC BY 2.0 | USFWS Midwest Region
FOX
Fox deposit tubular scat, but it is much smaller in size than a bear scat, measuring only 3 to 6 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter. Fox scat also is tapered and twisted in appearance like the other canines. Fresh fox scat may have a distinct musky scent.
CC BY 2.0 | Flickr (gailhampshire)
MICE/ RAT
Rodents are another group of animals that produce a pellet-shaped scat. The scat measures between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch long and can be deposited in a line or a small pile. You will find mouse scat in shelters and other areas where there is food.
© Túrelio (via Wikimedia-Commons), 2010 / License
TURKEY
Most birds produce an amorphous scat that has no defined shape. It is loose and splatters when it lands. It often is dark in color with a white urea deposit. Turkey and grouse produce a scat that is more cylindrical, but their scat is tiny (3/8 inch diameter) compared to a bear. Both turkey and grouse will have a white spot on one end from uric acid. Turkey scat often has a hook or ‘J' shape on one end.
CC BY 2.0 | Flickr (fishermansdaughter)
General FAQ
What does bear poop look like?
Bear scat may vary in shape and consistency, depending on what the bear has been eating. If the bear has been feeding primarily on moist foods like berries and grass, their poop will be very loose. On the other end of the spectrum, you may find bear poop that is tubular with a blunt end and a slight taper.
What color is bear poop?
The color of bear poop can range from black to brown when the bear is eating a mixed diet. It can also be green if the bear is eating a lot of grasses.
How big is bear poop?
Bear poop is 5 to 12-inches long and 1.5 to 2.5-inches in diameter. Poop from brown and grizzly bears is generally wider than the poop of black bears (2+ inches in diameter).
What does bear poop smell like?
The smell of bear scat varies depending on a bear's diet. For example, the scat of a bear that consumes a lot of berries has a fruity scent that is not entirely unpleasant. However, if the bear has been eating a lot of meat, its poop will smell much fouler.
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