Replica Scat Photo: N. Sincero 2011, Scat Wrangler: S. Sumrall
This scat may include berry seeds, bits of roots and tubers, and even fur, hair and bones. It can vary in color from brown to black. It is generally sweet smelling. You might find it in the northwest of North America, in a high forest or an alpine tundra meadow.
Who pooped?
Leave a comment below with your guess. If no one gets it right, we will reveal the answer in one week.
If you have your own natural history mystery (an unidentified animal, plant or other specimen), send a photo or two to naturalist@calacademy.org. We’ll do our best to help out. Please include location, date and any other details that seem pertinent.
Sources:
Scats and Tracks of the Pacific Coast, including British Columbia: A Field Guide to the Signs of 70 Wildlife Species / James C. Halfpenny; illustrated by Todd Telander. Helena, Mont.: Falcon, c1999. Naturalist Center Reference QL768 .H36 1999
The Encyclopedia of Mammals / edited by David Macdonald. New York: Facts on File, c1984. Naturalist Center Reference QL703 .E53 1984
Check out this week’s featured specimen! (Pictured below)
Can you guess what it is?
Here are some hints:
- You most often find this animal on land, but some species live in salt or fresh water.
- This animal generally hibernates in the winter and may estivate in the summer
Leave us a comment with your answer! Then come see us outside the Project Lab on Friday, July 29th at 11:30 AM for Specimen Spotlight or in the Classroom on Sunday July 31st for Science Story Adventures in order to find out if you’re right.
Photo: Mother opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and her young. Alden M. Johnson © California Academy of Sciences
Click here for the More Marsupials online handout.
Each week in the Naturalist Center, we take elementary school-aged children on Science Story Adventures. We look at a different theme connected with the natural world and the exhibits in the Academy, and explore it through stories, activities and crafts.
Now you can continue your adventure at home with this online handout. It includes the planned learning outcomes of the Science Story Adventure, which are usually drawn from the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools. Can’t remember the title of the books we read or how to do that craft? It’s on the sheet. We’ve also included a list of resources – books, DVDs or websites – for further exploration.
Photo: Nudibranchs and purple sea urchins. Mial Zinkova, 2006
Click here for the Tidepools online handout.
Each week in the Naturalist Center, we take elementary school-aged children on Science Story Adventures. We look at a different theme connected with the natural world and the exhibits in the Academy, and explore it through stories, activities and crafts.
Now you can continue your adventure at home with this online handout. It includes the planned learning outcomes of the Science Story Adventure, which are usually drawn from the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools. Can’t remember the title of the books we read or how to do that craft? It’s on the sheet. We’ve also included a list of resources – books, DVDs or websites – for further exploration.
Photo: Bumblebee (Bombus sp.). Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
Click here for the Bees online handout.
Each week in the Naturalist Center, we take elementary school-aged children on Science Story Adventures. We look at a different theme connected with the natural world and the exhibits in the Academy, and explore it through stories, activities and crafts.
Now you can continue your adventure at home with this online handout. It includes the planned learning outcomes of the Science Story Adventure, which are usually drawn from the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools. Can’t remember the title of the books we read or how to do that craft? It’s on the sheet. We’ve also included a list of resources – books, DVDs or websites – for further exploration.
