Like domestic cats, many wild felines “sharpen their claws” on surfaces – often carpets and furniture in the case of domestic cats, and logs and trees in the case of wild cats. In the house, it’s not hard to find … Continue reading →
Black bears engage in various behaviors thought to relate to scent communication. As I’ve discussed before, they mark larger trees by rubbing, biting, and clawing at them, and they mark the ground with their feet by as they walk, sometimes … Continue reading →
Because clear foot prints are rarely present, the ability to recognize other bear sign is very helpful in tracking bears. A black bear marking trail, also called mark trail, stomp trail or ritual trail, is a series of worn ovals … Continue reading →
North American beavers (Castor canadensis) mark their territory by creating mounds of debris onto which they deposit scent from their castor sacs and possibly anal glands. Some beaver wetlands are marked sparsely with a few small mounds here and there, … Continue reading →
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are hardly ever the intended target species of my camera trapping endeavors because, as adaptable and abundant creatures, they show up almost anywhere, anyway. So, what I’ve learned about raccoon scent marking has been mostly (okay entirely) … Continue reading →
Like many other mammals, white-tailed deer use scent to communicate. They deposit secretions from glands on their heads, on their legs, and between their toes, and all of these are used in scent marking at deer scrapes, important communication spots … Continue reading →
The fisher and its cousin the river otter often create tracks and trail patterns of similar appearance. If tracking conditions are poor and tracks are unclear, distinguishing between these two mustelids can be tricky business. However in snow, otters usually … Continue reading →
Woodchucks (Marmota monax) have sweat glands near the corners of the mouth which emit a pungent odor. The animals are well known to rub their cheeks on trees, roots, and stones near the den, thus depositing their scent. Groundhogs often … Continue reading →
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) uses urine and scat to mark important places within its home range. Like house cats, bobcats sometimes spray urine back onto vertical surfaces, such as stumps, trees, and stones. The animal might spray quickly and casually, … Continue reading →
Like many other animals, beavers are territorial, and use scent to mark ownership. On the shore of their pond, they create piles of leaves, sticks and other debris, much of it dredged up with mud from the bottom of the … Continue reading →
