Exploring Animal Signs
Animal signs are all around us if we take time to look. They leave clues telling us about their life, and help us learn about own lives too!
Animals leave behind a number of signs and clues that can tell us where they live, what they ate, if they have babies nearby, and more!
Black Bear sow (mom) and three cubs
Potter County is home to many mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish! The types of wildlife found in an area often depends upon the habitat type. Certain birds and small mammals will like to live mostly in old meadows, whereas other animals will prefer deeply wooded areas. No matter the general preference, all of our wildlife depends on habitat connectivity between all of these areas to live happily.
Potter County's most common wildlife includes porcupine, black bear, white tailed deer, opossum, raccoon, red squirrel, various songbirds, wild turkey, and many more!
Along with many other organizations, the Potter County Conservation District cares about the health of our wildlife. Birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and insects are all indicators of the health of the environment as a whole. The District's work and projects help ensure our county's natural resources, habitats, and soils remain healthy for years to come!
Follow along with this lesson to learn about animal signs you might find near your home!
A Stream-side mink feasting on a goose dinner!
Types of Animal Signs Include:
1) Tracks and Trails
2) Homes and Nests - beaver lodges, burrows, bird nests
3) Eat Marks - chews of rodents, evidence of scavenging
4) Body Parts - cast-off fur, feathers, or skin, sometimes bones or blood
5) Territorial Marks - white tailed deer rubs and rut scratches
6) Scat and Urine - poop and pee! Certain animals leave specific contents, shapes, and sizes of poo. ID guides are very useful for knowing what's what.
It's important to notice animal signs, because it lets you know what's living happily near you. Depending where you hike, you may find out that the biodiversity of the area is very high, meaning the ecosystem overall is healthy.
Remember when on the hunt for animal signs, it's important to look at the ground, up trees, everywhere! Up, down, all around. For starters, here are some common tracks to look out for:
Follow along with Kensey, Lydia, and Emily on their Animal Signs Hike to learn more!
Animal Signs
Now that you've learned about animal signs and how to identify them, it's your turn to find your own near your house!
You'll need:
The Potter County Conservation District's Wildlife Trunk*, optional
Whiteboard, paper and pencil, or nature journal
Scat, Track, bird, and other wildlife ID guides
Binoculars or Magnifying glasses
Camera, optional
Remember to record all of your findings as a group or in your nature journal or note pad!
A beaver chew in winter!
A few questions to ask yourself before we end:
1) Did I find signs from a lot of different animals?
2) Did I find any human signs?
3) Were many animal signs near human-made places? Were lots of human signs near animals' places?
4) Is the place I visited a healthy environment? Can many animals live there? Why or why not?
Lesson Extensions:
1) Take note of the weather, vegetation, season, possible noise, light, air, or water pollution.
2) Practice taking Transects of the area. A description of this activity is included in our lesson plan - link at the end of this story map lesson.
3) While on your hike, find potential places to place a game camera or time lapse camera, giving you a good view into wildlife activity near your home all year long!
4) Take photos of your finds and share to iNaturalist or other nature data collection sites! Link at the end of this lesson!
5) Think about SMELLS! Scents and smells are one of the major ways that animals communicate. Try to find scenes in the forest where you think an animal may have left it's scent, and what message they might have been trying to leave behind!
6) Ask yourself: how can I help make this area more biologically diverse? What structures can I build and implement? - see the link at the end of the lesson for some ideas!
Vocabulary used in this lesson:
Habitat Connectivity - the degree to which certain areas of habitat are connected. Greater connectivity means animals have a larger area to safely, happily travel and live.
Biodiversity - A measure of variation in species diversity, which speaks for the overall productivity and health of an ecosystem. High diversity means superb habitats and the entire ecosystem.
Ecosystem - a collection of habitats, an ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Transect - A straight line or sometimes narrow section through an area or natural feature or across the earth's surface, along which observations are made or measurements taken.
Thanks for joining us!
Please use the links at the end of this lesson for free, printable learning resources!
Photos, text, video, and lesson plan courtesy of Emily Shosh and the Potter County Conservation District
