Animal Tracks Poster - Animal Signs Bingo - Whose Scat is That?

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Asher

Maine Animal Tracks poster teaches outdoor wildlife observation through animal signs and track identification. It includes a “Direction of travel” grid listing local animals, a classroom activity “Animal Signs Bingo” using cut-and-glued sign squares, and an explanatory section “Whose Scat is That?” that distinguishes herbivore, carnivore, and raptor waste patterns. The guide also provides practical tips for reading tracks, measuring stride and straddle, photographing with scale, and interpreting common gait types.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPosters

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Animal Tracks

Animal Signs Bingo

Whose Scat is That?

Identifying Animal Tracks and Traces

Making a Plaster Cast

MAINE ANIMAL TRACKS (Direction of travel of all tracks is to the right) |

1. CANADA LYNX | |

8. GRAY SQUIRREL | 15. BEAVER
| 22. OTTER
| | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
2. BOBCAT | | 9. RED SQUIRREL
| 16. COTTONTAIL RABBIT
| 23. MUSKRAT
| | |
3. HOUSE CAT | | 10. CHIPMUNK
| 17. SNOWSHOE RABBIT
|
24. WHITETAIL DEER | | |

4. RED FOX | | 11. WEASEL
|

18. RACCOON |
25. MOOSE | | | 5. DOG
| | 12. FISHER
| 19. SKUNK | |
26. WILD TURKEY | | 2 | | 13. MARTEN
|

20. PORCUPINE | 27. PHEASANT
| | | 7. BLACK BEAR
| | 14. MINK
|

21. WOODCHUCK |

28. RUFFED GROUSE | | Originally prepared by Klir Beck Revised by Cindy House; 1975 Revised April 2017 All in for the Maine Outdoors meﬁ[shwildlife.com](shwildlife.com) Play Animal Signs Bingo! Cut out each square below. Glue squares on a sheet of paper. Glue 4 squares across and 4 squares down-just like they are here, but in any order you like. Title your card “Animal Signs Bingo”. Using your bingo card, explore your school yard or backyard for animal signs. If you get 4 across, 4 down, or all 4 corners-You’ve got Bingo! | Anthill
| Half eaten fruit
| Nibbled branch
| Bumps on a leaf
| | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Web
| Hole in a tree
| Bird nest
| Mound of dirt
| | Hole in the ground
| Nibbled plant
| Scat
| Pieces of eggshell
| | Feather
| Free
Square | Bird singing
| Holes in a leaf
| Whose Scat is That? All animals must eat to survive. After digesting their food, they rid their bodies of waste by leaving behind droppings, called scat. Scat is a sign that gives us clues about local animals. Herbivores (plant eaters), such as deer and rabbits, leave piles of small, round droppings. Carnivores (meat-eaters) leave scat piles that are larger, in clumps or cords, and may contain hair and fur. Coyote and bear scat often contain plant material and berries. Raptors like hawks and owls regurgitate pellets of fur and bone. Don’t be afraid to take a closer look to find out whose scat is that? The ability to interpret animal tracks and traces takes practice. Here are some tips to help you hone your powers of observation and instincts as a nature detective. Tracks can tell a story about where the animal travelled from and where its now going. It gives us clues about where the animal makes its home Hints to identifying a track: 􀁄 Does the track show claws? 􀁄 How many digits? 􀁄 What is the overall shape of the track? 􀁄 Measure the Stride: distance from heel of one foot to heel of the other foot \# of inches 􀁉 direction of travel 􀁄 Measure the Straddle: the width of the track pattern between left and right heels inches 􀁉 direction of travel 􀁄 What is the Direction of the track 􀁄 Type of substrate (soil, mud, sand, snow) in which the track was made 􀁄Identify the Habitat in which the track was observed 􀁄If you photograph the track, put an object of a known size or length next to the track (a pocket knife, pen, quarter, pack of gum) to give size reference to the track in the photograph • Then, if you can identify the gait by the appearance of the trail, i.e. , trotting, bounding, galloping, etc. , you are already on your way to identifying the maker! • Canines, felines, and members of the deer family generally walk or trot. The trail looks like an almost perfectly straight line of prints, because the animal places its hind foot into the print just made by the front foot. The tracks should look like this: • Members of the weasel family generally bound, a gait in which they place both forefeet together on the ground, then swing their hind feet into nearly the same prints. The trail made by a weasel would look like this: • The gallop is typical of most rabbits, hares, squirrels, and mice. These animals touch down with their front feet, and then follow through with

FAQs

How do you play “Animal Signs Bingo” from the poster?

Cut out each animal-sign square, glue 4 across and 4 down on a sheet, and play by exploring for animal signs. Get 4 across, 4 down, or all 4 corners to win.

What clues does scat provide about local animals?

Scat indicates what animals are eating and where clues about local wildlife may be found. Herbivores leave small, round droppings, carnivores leave larger clumps or cords that may include hair or fur, and coyote or bear scat may contain plant material and berries. Raptors regurgitate fur-and-bone pellets.

What measurements help identify a track?

Measure the stride (distance from heel of one foot to heel of the other) and the straddle (width between left and right heels). Record the direction of travel, overall track shape, number of digits, and the substrate and habitat where the track was observed.

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Asher