Scat With Hackberries

[indiefoot]

I have made my factual points also. No one has shown me how several pounds of Hackberries were eaten without so much as a twig or a leaf getting in with it. If you or Bittermonk or Redwolf think that a feral hog accomplishing that is probable then I'll disagree.

What I won't do is what you folks have done and that is to call into question your motives or honesty in doing so.

[Guest ChrisBFRPKY]

Indiefoot, in all fairness my friend , you did ask for ideas on what could have been the donor. We have alot of differing opinions on the forum, so when you ask, be prepared.

If someone else doesn't share your view it's nothing to get offended over. Unless the animal that left the pile was seen leaving it, one opinion is as good as another. (and that's my opinion)

I think the best way to determine suspect scat is with some lab work. (of course that costs money) If one has the drive, one can also purchase their own equipment to do some analysis. I think a fairly decent microscope with a USB hookup is around $200 or less and info on parasite types is free for the searching online.

Chris B.

[Guest BFSleuth]

From the size of the scat it looks more in the range of raccoon, an omnivore and a very capable climber to get the winter harvest of berries.

You can see an image of raccoon scat on this web page, halfway down on the left side:

http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/Terry.Derting/mammalogy2001/Tracks/scatpage.html

I don't think Racoons leave scat as big as a large human. You can see for yourself the size in relation to the Coke can.

A coke can is 4 13/16" tall with a diameter of 2 1/2". That makes the scat in indiefoot's picture about 8" in length and about 1" diameter. Look at the raccoon scat from the Murray State web site, and it has about the same dimensions.

Raccoon scat can be large if they are eating a high roughage diet, and these berries have a big seed and boy do they look like roughage to the 10th power! Raccoons can climb efficiently and can be dainty enough in how they eat the berries to avoid leaves easily. Omnivores can gorge on best available food sources depending on the season, and for winter time these berries would be a good choice, especially for any possible alcohol content.

Picture a drunk raccoon taking a big dump with big berry seeds, it won't be a small production.

[Guest ajciani]

I have seen coyote scat that was composed of nothing but (mostly intact) hackberries. Their scat approaches the size and shape pictured, and they like to plop it right in the middle of human trails. Of course, we also have some big coyotes in this area (with rotten teeth, guess who's food they eat). Although a little unusual, their scat can have a bit of a curved shape. It could also be feral dog, instead of coyote, or even a wolf.

I think feral hog could also be a possibility, but I have never seen hog scat with a curve like that.

Of course, curvature and composition could be a small bigfoot, but the location seems very atypical for bigfoot scat.

[indiefoot]

Indiefoot, in all fairness my friend , you did ask for ideas on what could have been the donor. We have alot of differing opinions on the forum, so when you ask, be prepared.

If someone else doesn't share your view it's nothing to get offended over. Unless the animal that left the pile was seen leaving it, one opinion is as good as another. (and that's my opinion)

I think the best way to determine suspect scat is with some lab work. (of course that costs money) If one has the drive, one can also purchase their own equipment to do some analysis. I think a fairly decent microscope with a USB hookup is around $200 or less and info on parasite types is free for the searching online.

Chris B.

I haven't been upset, I think some other people have though. I didn't realize that when Bittermonk spoke that was the end of it.

I don't tell stories, I show pictures. I don't say, I have seen this or that. I show pictures of evidence.

Edited June 14, 2011 by indiefoot

[Drew]

I have seen Coyotes bigger than Golden Retrievers, and I have seen Golden Retriever poop bigger than that.

Why do you think this is so huge of a dump? Looks like a 100# dog turd.

[indiefoot]

A coke can is 4 13/16" tall with a diameter of 2 1/2". That makes the scat in indiefoot's picture about 8" in length and about 1" diameter. Look at the raccoon scat from the Murray State web site, and it has about the same dimensions.

Raccoon scat can be large if they are eating a high roughage diet, and these berries have a big seed and boy do they look like roughage to the 10th power! Raccoons can climb efficiently and can be dainty enough in how they eat the berries to avoid leaves easily. Omnivores can gorge on best available food sources depending on the season, and for winter time these berries would be a good choice, especially for any possible alcohol content.

Picture a drunk raccoon taking a big dump with big berry seeds, it won't be a small production.

You show me a 1" x 8" racoon turd.

[indiefoot]

I have seen coyote scat that was composed of nothing but (mostly intact) hackberries. Their scat approaches the size and shape pictured, and they like to plop it right in the middle of human trails. Of course, we also have some big coyotes in this area (with rotten teeth, guess who's food they eat). Although a little unusual, their scat can have a bit of a curved shape. It could also be feral dog, instead of coyote, or even a wolf.

I think feral hog could also be a possibility, but I have never seen hog scat with a curve like that.

Of course, curvature and composition could be a small bigfoot, but the location seems very atypical for bigfoot scat.

This is a coyote example from the same day, I've seen enough to know that this is large. It is still half the size of the example I've show.

I'm still waiting for someone to show me a picture of any large omnivore scat made up entirely of Hackberries.

[Branco]

This is a coyote example from the same day, I've seen enough to know that this is large. It is still half the size of the example I've show.

I'm still waiting for someone to show me a picture of any large omnivore scat made up entirely of Hackberries.

That area of the state was hit by heavy snow in early January followed by a bitter cold spell with winds. The tree most likely dropped the fruit in late January because of those conditions.

The scat is not abnormally large for coyotes. The size of their scat depends on the amount of a particular source that is available to them "at one sitting". During late winter and early spring, coyotes have to hustle for food, and they will eat about anything. Their scat often contains the remains of one particular food source. Examples are black cherries, muscadines, persimmons, watermelons, apples, etc. A few weeks ago I found and photographed their scat that consisted of nothing but Cicada remains. Some of their scat I saw contained a finger of a leather workglove. Snake belly skin/scales are common in their scat.

The likely source of the scat pictured is coyote. The fact that it was found on a roadway, and the fact that there was similar scat of about the same age nearby tends to pretty well confirm that opinion for me.

[norseman]

All I can say is that if it's a bear? It's a small bear, and it's odd that the berries are not pulverized, generally with beer scat all you get is seeds.

Back to size, I'd say this animal is no more than 100 lbs.

Yanno, it could very well be a large coyote or dog. The way the berries are not digested properly sends up warning flags for me. I always get worried about my dog when I see them eating grass, because supposedly it's a sign of worms. Maybe this is a coyote eating vegetation for ulterior reasons besides food? Just a thought.

As far as the berries being in a tree? Berries drop to the ground all the time in wind storms as they ripen. I wouldn't necessarily dismiss any animal that couldn't climb.

Of course maybe you have a juvy squatch on yer hands.........who knows?

Thanks for sharing.

Edited June 14, 2011 by norseman

[Guest]

The title of this thread sounds like something made by General Mills. Start your researchin' day with a bowl of Capn' Scat with Hackberries. The cereal that tastes like sh%t and smells like sh%t. Proud sponsor of Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot"....lol

[Guest TooRisky]

It looks like Coyote poop to me.

Not even out of the ordinary.

If you google image search Coyote scat berries you will see several examples

No No as an educated field researcher and woodsman as you are, I am sure you meant a mangy bear or possibly Bob H. after a Hackberry pie, cause we both know a coyote scat is nothing this size... cause we all know Coyotes are opportunistic and eat what ever it takes to survive, not just berries considering it is a canine after all... Silly. you...

Edited June 16, 2011 by TooRisky

[Guest rockinkt]

If hungry and if berries are the only food source handy - a coyote will eat berries until it is full.

If its stomach was empty when it ate the berries - then that is what will be defecated after the digestive process.

[Guest]

Sorry, I don't see the scat in the photo as outside the range for raccoon or coyote, and those two are my default hypotheses. The fact that they were found in a road makes coyote slightly more plausible to me, but it doesn't rule out raccoon.

Indiefoot, you do realize that the size of scat from the same individual can vary tremendously from day to day and meal to meal, right? Just one example (TMI alert!), when Mrs. Saskeptic and I were potty-training one of our younglings, that kid was daily leaving poops that looked to be about twice the diameter and length as typical for me, despite my roughly 180 lb size advantage over the little tot.

I think all we can say about what left the scat in your photo is that the culprit was a mammal that ate hackberries, generally swallowing them whole. Because hackberries do fall from the tree (and hackberry trees do fall), you can't rule out an animal that obtained them from the ground. As for the size of the animal, I don't see the size of the scat ruling out a raccoon or a smallish coyote or dog.

Finally, I continue to be amused at the suggestion that this location in eastern Kansas is out of range for the rapidly expanding black bear (extirpated in the 1880s) and feral hog but seems to suit bigfoots just fine. (Bigfoots who think nothing of pooping out in the open along a road.)

[Guest]

Finally, I continue to be amused at the suggestion that this location in eastern Kansas is out of range for the rapidly expanding black bear (extirpated in the 1880s) and feral hog but seems to suit bigfoots just fine. (Bigfoots who think nothing of pooping out in the open along a road.)