Mammals can be elusive and sometimes the first clue that they are there isn’t the flash of a tail or the flick of an ear poking out of the foliage but a field sign – like poo! Often, finding and identifying the poo you find in your garden or on a walk will be the only way you know that a particular species of mammal is nearby. So how do you go about figuring out whose poo is whose? We hope that this page will help you ID what you find! If you need some extra help or advice, don’t forget you can also contact us at info@themammalsociety.org.
What are the things to look for?
- Size – if you don’t have a ruler with you, taking a photo with something you know the size of e.g. a coin or a standard biro pen can help
- Smell – is it foul or sweet smelling?
- Shape – different types of mammal will have very different shaped droppings so this can really help narrow it down
- Colour – colour can vary depending on what the animal ate but this can still be a good clue
- Contents – can you see clues as to what the animal ate e.g. fur, bones, seeds or invertebrate shells?
Please note that it’s important NOT to touch any poo directly as it can be harmful. In order to break it apart and get a better look, it’s best to use a tool, such as a small stick.
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Hedgehog
Crinkly, often studded with shiny fragments from their insect diet. Blue-black colour. Sweet smelling with a hint of linseed oil. Size varies, 1.5-5 cm long and 0.8-1 cm thick |
European rabbit
Found in grassland, field edges and hedgerows. May be in a dense collection of pellets on a prominent feature e.g. anthill. Can be yellowish or brown-green. Sweet smelling, like a damp digestive biscuit with a hint of mown hay. About 1 cm in diameter. |
Brown hare
Found on bare ground of farmland and edges of grassland. Larger and more flattened than rabbit poo: 1.5-2 cm diameter. Can vary depending on diet. Greenish brown and, like rabbit droppings, smell sweet – like a digestive biscuit and mown hay. |
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Squirrels
Usually near trees. Can be dark grey or black and are often sweet smelling, although this depends on their diet – is especially true if they’ve eaten pinecones. Small, round pellets 0.5-0.8 cm long and 0.5 cm thick. |
Water vole
Particularly distinctive, often described as having a tic-tac shape – no other British mammal poo has this shape. Usually found in latrines and small heaps close to water. Colour varies but usually dark green when broken up. Odourless. 0.8-1.2 cm wide and 0.4-0.5 cm thick. |
Brown rat
Putty-like, usually with one blunt and one pointed end. Most commonly seen in farmland and urban areas. Blackish brown and smell foul/rancid. Variable size, can be up to 1.7 cm long and 0.6 cm wide. |
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Red Fox
Full of fur, bone fragments and often fruit pips. Usually twisted with a tapering ‘tail’ at one end. Brown, black or grey. A characteristic pungent smell. Size varies but about 8-12 cm long and 2 cm wide. |
Badger
Found in small pits or latrines 10-15 cm deep. Can contain seeds and berries. Usually purple, black or brown. Smell foul – a strong musky, oily smell. About 10 cm long and 2 cm thick. They are not strongly coiled. |
Otter
Otters leave spraints (droppings) on rocks or logs close to water, often in small quantities. Contain mainly fish shells, bones, crustacean shells, feathers or fur. Greenish, black/grey. Sweet smelling – jasmine tea or laurel flowers. Highly variable in size. |
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Pine marten
Usually deposited singly and often contain hair and bone from their carnivorous diet. Blackish in colour and sweet smelling like violets when fresh. Variable in size but around 4-12 cm long and 1.2 cm thick. |
Weasel
Deposited singly and often contain bits of bone and hair. Narrow with twisty ends (as with all carnivore droppings). Shorter and thinner than stoat droppings at 0.3-0.6 cm long and 0.2 cm thick. |
Polecat
Typical twisted mustelid appearance. Similar to American mink but contain no fish remains and some plant material. Often contain hair and bits of bone, deposited singly in prominent places. Blackish colour and a distinctly unpleasant, foul smell, like foetid meat. |
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American mink
Often contain bones and fur and are long and twisted in shape with tapered ends. Greenish, black or brown and a very unpleasant, foul smell like burnt rubber and rotten meat. Approximately 5-8 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. |
Deer
Tend to be similar across all deer species and can easily be confused with sheep droppings. They do not have any obvious coloration or smell. |
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Have you spotted some mammal poo? Why not log it in the FREE Mammal Mapper app – available to download here.
Simply take a photo, find the mammal you think it belongs to, click “Droppings” and then location and upload. Our verifiers will do the rest!
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