Field Guide to Animal Tracks and Scat of California. Lawrence Mark Elbroch

      UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

      Berkeley Los Angeles London

      This books is dedicated to all the animals, whose tracks we read.

      _______________

      University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.

      California Natural History Guide Series No. 104

      University of California Press

      Berkeley and Los Angeles, California

      University of California Press, Ltd.

      London, England

      © 2012 by The Regents of the University of California

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Elbroch, Mark.

      Field guide to animal tracks and scat of California / Mark Elbroch, Michael Kresky, Jonah Evans ; Illustrated by Michael Kresky and Mark Elbroch.

      p. cm. — (California natural history guide series)

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-0-520-25378-0 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-520-27109-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      1. Animal tracks-California-Identification. 2. Tracking and trailing-California. I. Kresky, Michael. II. Evans, Jonah. III. Title.

      QL768.E43 2012

      591.47'9—dc23

      2011014428

      Manufactured in Singapore

      19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).{infcir}

      Cover photograph: Adult male Cougar tracks in snow in the Mojave National Preserve, southern California. Photo by Mark Elbroch.

      The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions

      to this book provided by

      the Gordon and Betty Moore Fund

      in Environmental Studies

       and

      the General Endowment Fund

      of the University of California Press Foundation.

      CONTENTS

       Acknowledgments

       INTRODUCTION

       GETTING STARTED

       Sooted Track Plates

       MAMMAL TRACKS AND TRACK PATTERNS

       TRACKS AND TRAILS OF BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS

       Quick Guide to Tracks

       Mammal Tracks

       Bird Tracks

       Reptile and Amphibian Trails

       Invertebrate Trails

       ANIMAL SCATS, URINE, AND OTHER SCENT-MARKING BEHAVIORS

       Scat Plates

       BIRD PELLETS

       Bird Pellet Plates

       MAMMAL SPECIES ACCOUNTS

       Bibliography

       Art Credits

       Index

       About the Authors