George Fittleworth - Deer Poop or Bear Poop?

Contents

Boldface words appear in the glossary.

Bear Scat

Black bear scat often looks like tube-shaped clumps. It can be different colors depending on what the bear has been eating. If the bear has been eating mostly plants, its poop doesnt smell much. Bear scat can weigh 1 pound (0.5 kg)!

Whose Scat Is That?

So, which animal left the scat by the path? The poop you saw was dark brown and made up of little oval pellets. It wasnt a tube-shaped clump. It was a deers scat! Knowing how to identify scat is a skill!

GLOSSARY

digest: to break down food inside the body so that the body can use it

fungus: a living thing that is somewhat like a plant, but doesnt make its own food, have leaves, or have a green color. Fungi include molds and mushrooms.

herbivore: an animal that eats only plants

identify: to find out the name or features of something lichen: a small plantlike living thing that grows on rocks and walls

pellet: a small, hard ball of something

research: studying to find something new

species: a group of plants or animals that are all of the same kind

FOR MORE INFORMATION

BOOKS

Jeffries, Joyce. Black Bears. New York, NY: PowerKids Press, 2016.

Lawrence, Ellen. Poop Detectives. New York, NY: Bearport Publishing, 2018.

Mara, Wil. Deer. New York, NY: Cavendish Square Publishing, 2014.

WEBSITES

American Black Bear

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/american-black-bear/

Read more about black bears, also called American black bears.

Fun Deer Facts for Kids

www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/deer.html

Theres a lot more to know about these four-legged creatures!

Publishers note to educators and parents: Our editors have carefully reviewed these websites to ensure that they are suitable for students. Many websites change frequently, however, and we cannot guarantee that a sites future contents will continue to meet our high standards of quality and educational value. Be advised that students should be closely supervised whenever they access the internet.

INDEX

bears 6, 14, 18

black bears 14, 16, 18, 21

deer 6, 10, 12, 16, 20

digest 12

forests 6, 14

herbivores 10

North America 8, 14, 21

omnivores 16

scat 6, 12, 18, 20, 21

South America 8, 21

species 8, 14

stomach 12

white-tailed deer 8, 10, 12, 21

woods 4, 8, 21

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Cataloging-in-Publishing Data

Names: Fittleworth, George.

Title: Deer poop or bear poop? / George Fittleworth.

Description: New York : Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2020. | Series: The scoop on poop | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781538233399 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538229545 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538233405 (6pack)

Subjects: LCSH: Deer--Juvenile literature. | Bears--Juvenile literature. | Animal droppings-- Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC QL737.U55 F58 2020 | DDC 599.65--dc23

Published in 2020 by

Gareth Stevens Publishing

111 East 14th Street, Suite 349

New York, NY 10003

Copyright 2020 Gareth Stevens Publishing

Designer: Sarah Liddell

Editor: Therese Shea

Photo credits: Cover, p. 1 Jody./Shutterstock.com; p. 5 Inga Nielsen/Shutterstock.com; p. 7 stockphotofan1/Shutterstock.com; p. 9 Tom Reichner/Shutterstock.com; p. 11 L. E. MORMILE/Shutterstock.com; p. 13 Bruce MacQueen/Shutterstock.com; p. 15 critterbiz/ Shutterstock.com; p. 17 J. Bicking/Shutterstock.com; p. 19 (main) Mark Caunt/Shutterstock.com; p. 19 (inset) K Steve Cope/Shutterstock.com.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch #CS19GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

On the Trail

You and your family are on a hike in the woods. The wind is brushing leaves together. You can hear other sounds, too. Animals are on the move. Suddenly, you look down and see a pile of poop near the path!

Deer or Bear?

You guess that the poop must come from a large animal because theres a lot of it! The largest animals in this forest are deer and bears. Researching these animals will help you find out which animal left this scat, or poop.

White-Tailed Deer

There are many deer species. White-tailed deer live all over North and South America. Theyre often seen in the woods. Males can be more than 6 feet (1.8 m) tall from hoof to head. They can weigh 400 pounds (181 kg), too!

White-tailed deer are herbivores. They eat whatever plants they can find, such as grasses, leaves, nuts, fruits, and branches. They also eat lichens and fungi. Deer usually eat at night or when theres less light, so they can be hard to spot!

Deer Scat

White-tailed deer have a four-part stomach that helps them digest plants. Sometimes they eat food, cough it up, and eat it again. Deer scat looks like dark oval pellets. It may be found in a pile. Deer poop more than 10 times a day!

Black Bears

Black bears are the most common bear species in North American forests. Some black bears are actually a brown color. Some have white markings, too. Black bears are large. Males can be 6 feet (1.8 m) long and weigh 600 pounds (272 kg)!