‘EWWWWW....What is THAT?’ Have you ever heard these words while out hiking or said them yourself? Often the answer to this question is SCAT! Scat is the scientific name for animal poop and a much preferred term than poop, which inevitably results in lots of giggles from children of all ages. Discovering scat while hiking is an amazing learning opportunity you shouldn't pass up. Think of the observational and analytical skills to be learned!

Ways to Identify Scat:

Remind students NOT to touch the scat but to use their observational skills to notice the attributes of the scat.

After making your observations, consult a scat guide (like this one!) and determine who left the scat behind. Enrich your experience by trying to figure out what the animal ate and search for that food source nearby.

Fun Scat Activity