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Name that poop! (1 Viewer)

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter
The other day I found a blackish fine-grained 'poo' on a prominent hump in the grass next to a lock on the river here at Chelmsford in Essex. It looked like it had been trodden on by someone passing by (it's right on a route walkers use) but returning there today I found some fresh deposits. I am hoping they are Otter spraints but since I don't have experience in this area (for all I know it could be a rain-sodden oreo cookie or something! ;)) I'm hoping someone can take a look at the pics below and give an opinion.

I know there are otters on the river in this area (one was found unfortunately dead in a crayfish trap on the other side of town) but am hoping these are my first real first-hand signs of their presence on my local stretch of water. I did see mention that spraints are greenish black which these are, although since there were a lot of people standing around there and my sense of smell is a bit kaput I didn't feel like getting on my knees and sniffing it to see if it was fishy/musky!
 

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No personal experience of Otters, Paul. But, that looks like Badger, to me.

Be interested to hear what anyone else thinks. Though, ye really should have just sneaked a bit up and had a good look and a whiff.
 
Tips for next time:

1. smell it and don't worry about being thought weird

2. Put something in the pic to give the rest of us scale (a plastic CF card box will do if you don't habitually carry a ruler)

3. once you've done all that have a poke around in it with a stick and see whether there are any fish scales, bones etc or other prey remains to give a clue to diet.

Its all so easy with hindsight.....

I have no opinion on what laid it!

John
 
I don't think it's badger, they dig latrines to poo in and location wouldn't be normal either. If not otter I don't know what else, it looks a bit weird, though i don't have as much experience with them. But location (prominent mound near water) is right and colour looks good, the only thing is shape, or lack of! Spraints are usually a far more distinct shape, cylindricalish and pointy at one end, as with many poos... How big was it? The only other thing I can think is hedgehog? Get yourself back there though, have a little hunt around nearby, forget the pride!
 
Thanks for the head-scratching, some interesting thoughts. I really must get up there and take a sniff!

It was a 'lot' bigger than a hedgehog poo, I've had a lot of those in the garden - I would guess from memory that it was probably as long as my little finger but broader. It looked like both had been disturbed- the disc one appeared to have been trodden on, hence the shape, and the poo-shaped one seemed to have been trodden on too, possibly by a dog or the animal that made it. The fact that it was right by the river on a prominent place and that the spot had poo added to it (the flattened disc one was there on Thursday, the long thin one appeared between then and Sunday) suggests it's not just a random place to poo - I didn't find poo elsewhere in that vicinity.

I have seen Badger tracks and poo within 1/4 of a mile along the river edge near here though so although it could be less likely they are certainly to be found here. I'll report back when I've gone to take a whiff (hopefully I'll get something with my dodgy sense of smell... maybe a fresh one will be there when I go).

Thanks all... :t:
 
FozzyBear; How would ye say 'your' stuff compares to the below shown ~ with an internationally recognisable Zippo lighter used as sizing gauge?

'Turkish Van'; We're talking natural creatures here. Not Disney characters. They don't all 'go' by the book, all the time ;)
 

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Lots of stuff coming out here.

Badgers do use latrines, especially when they first emerge in the evening, but you can find badger scat anywhere along their regular runs (unfortunate choice of word!) particularly when they are overdosing on berries late summer.

Smells of scats are very useful for identification. Fox is pretty rank. Mink is absolutely hideous. Otter by reputation (never found one yet) has a sweetish, musky smell.

Especially when some unhelpful scoundrel has stepped in it and ruined the shape, all this can be very useful.

John
 
Lots of stuff coming out here.

Badgers do use latrines, especially when they first emerge in the evening, but you can find badger scat anywhere along their regular runs (unfortunate choice of word!) particularly when they are overdosing on berries late summer.


My point exactly, John. Not everything about badgers is black and white ;) (Incidentally; Whilst trying to form the above post, I too had that same problem with talking of their ..... I thought of using 'Pathways' but then just gave up)

Ye think mink smells bad? I once inadvertently got a taste of undiluted scent gland liquid! :eek!: (Don't ask how. Long and most regrettable story) Quite frankly, I'd have shot myself there and then, to end my suffering ~ had I even been able to handle a gun. Which I wouldn't have been. I was half blind and staggering about bent over double. Really was quite an experience!
 
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