Mammal ID - Ecology Training UK · Tutorial Summary • Unmistakeable mammals • Deer • Mustelids • Small mammals • Rabbits and Hares • Squirrels • Field signs o Foot prints

Mammal ID

Acorn Ecology Certificate Course

Self-Study Tutorial

Tutorial Summary

• Unmistakeable mammals

• Deer

• Mustelids

• Small mammals

• Rabbits and Hares

• Squirrels

• Field signs o Foot prints

o Droppings

o Feeding signs

o Burrows

Note: This is a long and

complicated tutorial. Take

your time! Maybe do small

chunks and come back to it if

you are finding it hard going.

Make notes!

Unmistakable Mammals

• Badger

• Fox

• Mole

• Hedgehog

(easy!)

Deer

• Deer are long-legged herbivores with cloven hooves and the males

usually have antlers

• Six species of deer occur in the British countryside (*only two are

native)

– Red deer*

– Fallow deer

– Roe deer*

– Muntjac

– Chinese water deer

– Sika deer

Roe Deer

Fallow Deer

Red deer

Muntjac

Here they all

are, look

carefully

at them and

then we will

go

through

features in

more detail.

Sika deer

Chinese

water deer

Size

Smallest

Red deer 1200 mm MSH

Fallow deer 1000 mm MSH

Sika deer 850 mm MSH

Roe deer 750 mm MSH

Chinese water deer 600 mm MSH

Muntjac 500 mm MSH

Biggest

Don’t rely on this

feature alone as size

can be very variable

(e.g. age)

MSH = Maximum Shoulder Height

Size

Rumps

Red Deer Sika Deer Fallow Deer

Roe Deer Muntjac Chinese Water Deer

Take real note of

this... it is a really

important part of

deer ID!

When disturbed,

deer often bound

away into the

distance so all you’ll

see is their rump…..

Antlers

Red deer

Sika deer

Fallow deer

Muntjac

Roe deer

Chinese water deer

do not grow antlers,

although male has

curved tusks

At some times of

the year they have

no antlers and

some females

don’t grow them.

Now let’s look in more detail at antlers...

Large Branched Antlers

Red deer

Sika deer

Double brow point

Single brow point Fallow deer

Broad and

flattened

Short antlers

Roe deer Muntjac

Short spiky antlers

Often only a single

spike protruding

backwards

Other distinguishing features

Tusks (on males)

Small, protruding

tusks Long curved tusks

Muntjac

Chinese water deer

Other distinguishing features

White spots on back

Sika deer Fallow deer

(can also be pure white, pure

black and variations in

between!)

Other distinguishing features

Distinctive black

nose and white chin

Roe deer

Red Deer

Females have no antlers

Orange/brown fur

Large animal

Mustelids (family name)

• Otter

• Pine marten

• Polecat

• Stoat

• Weasel

• Mink

• and Badger

(footprints have 5 toes – more on that later...)

And now the ...

Comparative sizes

of Cat, Otter and

Weasel

Polecat dark fur,

distinctive face

mask

Pine Marten Pale ears,

Long bushy tail,

throat patch

Otter long tapering tail

American Mink white chin,

short bushy tail

Stoat Black tail tip, straight flank

Weasel Short tail, Wavy Flank

Ferret indistinct face mask,

pale fur

Mink

Otter

When swimming ...

Mustelids

American Mink

Pine Marten

Polecat

Now let’s look at some photos ...

Distinguishing Features

Stoat

The stoat has a

distinguishing black

tip to the tail

Weasel

White wavy

edge to

chest hair

‘Small’ mammals

• Mice

• Rats

• Dormice

• Voles

• Shrews

And now for the ...

Dormouse Large eyes,

well furred tail

Field Vole short ears, short tail (30%

of body)

Yellow

Necked

Mouse yellow

collar, long

thin tail, larger

than other

mice

House

Mouse long thin

tail,

greyish

Harvest

Mouse prehensile

tail, tiny size Wood Mouse large ears, long

thin tail

Bank Vole short ears,

ginger fur,

tail 50% of body

Shrews

• dd

Water Shrew (67-96 mm)

No hair fringe

Tail 50% body length

hair fringe

hair fringe on

backs of legs

Domed

head

Pygmy Shrew (40-60 mm)

Common Shrew (40-80 mm)

Black fur with white

underside

Tail longer,

thicker and

hairier than

Common

Venemous!

Squirrels

Red squirrel Grey squirrel Non-native

Bushy tail

with white

fringe

Grizzly grey

coat

No tufts

Long grey coat

Dark eye ring

Bushy tail

Ear tufts

Winter coat

is darker

(native and

rare)

Edible

Dormouse Non-native

Rabbits and Hares

Brown hare

Mountain hare

(Main species in Ireland)

Rabbit

Black

ear tips

Black tail

stripe

All white

tail

Black

ear tips No black

tips

All white

tail

Field signs: Hoof Prints

Dog (Various sizes

according to

variety)

(claw marks)

Domestic Cat

(no claw marks)

Polecat

Otter (front) Otter (hind)

Badger

Kidney-shaped pad,

claws, toes in a row

Stoat

Fox

Weasel

Mink

Hard ground Mink

Soft ground

Pine Marten

Footprints

Can you make

a cross?

Note the 5

toes of the

Mustelids

and 4 toes of

Carnivores

Webbing

visible on soft

ground

Droppings - Deer

Red Deer strong musky,

black/brown

Fallow Deer musky, earthy,

black/brown Roe Deer

earthy, wet leaf

litter, blackish

Muntjac (deer) damp hay Goat

strong, musky

Sheep damp hay

Point

Dimple

No point or dimple

You can’t be a mammal expert without knowing about poo! All deer

droppings have

a dimple and a

point

Droppings

Water Vole odourless

parallel sides Field Vole

odourless

parallel sides

Wood

Mouse House

Mouse smelly

Hare

Rabbit

Squirrel

Rat

Smelly, irregular

Comparing Mouse and Bat Droppings

Both found in lofts, barns etc and look similar in size, shape and texture.

Bat droppings are fairly

odour-free except when

wet when they smell

strongly of ammonia. Can

be shiny black or grainy.

More Droppings

Mink foul: burnt rubber, rotten

meat unpleasant

greenish black/brown

Polecat

foul: foetid meat, distinctly

unpleasant, blackish

Otter sweet jasmine tea,

laurel flowers,

slightly oily rag,

distinctive greenish

black/grey

Fox

foul: strong

musty, foxy

touch of old

socks,

black/grey

Pine marten sweet parma

violets, slightly

musky, distinctive

blackish

Weasel musky when

fresh, brown

Hedgehog sweet: faint smell of

linseed oil, blueish black

Stoat musky but not

too unpleasant,

blackish brown

Poo ID takes

practice in the field

– take a field

guide with you!

Badger foul: strong

musk, oily,

hint of hay,

blueish

black/brown

but depends

on seasonal

diet.

Feeding Signs

Dormouse

tooth marks on

the outside,

smooth inner

edge or ‘braided’

Woodmouse

tooth marks on

the outside,

chiselled inside

hole

Bank Vole

no tooth marks

on the outside –

chiselled inside

hole chiselled

Smooth or

‘braided’

Tooth marks on

the outside

Squirrel

cracked in

half or

shattered

Nibbled Cones

Handled by a

squirrel -

ragged

Stripped by

wood mouse

- smooth

Cone scale

cut from

right to left

by ‘right

handed’

squirrel

Cones completely

stripped by grey squirrel

– scruffy and ragged

Typical shape

of cone

handled by

red squirrel

Dropped scales

Other Feeding Signs

Deer Hare

Hare

Deer

Sheep

Field Vole

Bank Vole

Look at tooth

marks, angle

and smoothness

of cut and area

on the trunk

they target

according to

their height.

Relative Burrow Shapes and

Sizes

Badger - D-shape, often

many holes and lots of spoil

Rabbit –

round holes

Water Vole – neat lawn

Rat - runs

Fox –

tall oval,

smelly

Otter

Spraint – fishy smell, tarry, on

prominent places like rocks on

riverbanks

Footprints – look in fine wet

mud on river banks

A few photos ...

Water Vole

Latrine – piles of droppings

in prominent places Burrows

- lawns around

them, near

water level

Feeding signs – piles of

chopped vegetation

Chewed

rushes

(note 45

degree angle)

Badger

Footprint

Spoil outside a sett

Well-worn badger run Latrine – in a pit

Now go and practice!

• There is a lot to learn!

• Go out and practice

• Go out with an expert

• Use a guide book

• Never pass some poo or wet mud with footprints

again!

• Explore, sniff, crumble, observe ...

• Enjoy!

References

• FSC Guide- Key to British Land Mammals

• Rob Strachan (1998) Mammal Detective. Whittet Books: Suffolk

• Bang, P (2009) Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs. Collins

Sons and Co. Ltd: Glasgow.

• Sargent,G. and Morris,P. How to find and identify mammals, The

Mammal Society