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Learning how fur, skulls, tracks, and scat can be used to identify different mammals (worksheet)
We usually think of an animal as a whole but when we focus more on its specific parts it is really amazing how each mammal is adapted to fit into its habitat. By studying the different characteristics of mammal fur, tracks, scat, and skulls we can gain a much better appreciation of how mammals are evolved to fit into the riparian zone (edge environment between land and water). Students will also be eager to learn some of the more traditional skills behind tracking animals and using the clues they have left behind to learn more about a mammal’s species, health, size, and range.
Follow-up Activity: Go on a mammal hunt of your yard. Chances are you won't find many. Get students to think when there may be more and why (eg. night). Think like detectives and search for signs that mammals might visit the area at night time (tracks, scat, routes dug or scratched away under fences, shells of seeds or nuts, etc).