New Mexico S.C.A.T (Statewide Census of Animal Traces) is a project designed to have citizen scientists work with New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Naturalists study scat (animal feces) around the state. Studying scat is one of the best ways to learn about the fauna of our great state. By documenting where and when scat is found we can get a picture of an animal’s distribution across the state, when animals are in certain areas and how many animals are in a given area. Documenting what is in scat teaches about an animal’s diet, their preferred foods and how their diet changes from season to season. Studying the data collected from scat surveys can be a predictor of a specific group’s health. For example, when bears eat foods that are higher in fat (acorns & pinon seeds) they tend to have larger litters. Scat with pinon seeds on it is an indicator that the bear population is healthy.
The New Mexico SCAT project has two main goals, education and science. Both of these goals are in keeping with the vision of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science which is “to inspire a greater appreciation, understanding and stewardship of science and our natural world”. Educationally, it is hoped that this project will inspire citizens to get out in the natural world and make real scientific observations. In the process they will learn about the fauna of New Mexico, scientific method and the complex ecology of this great state. The photos collected in this project can be used as scat field guide will help future participants identify scat.
It is also hoped that this project will create a useful data set for scientists. New Mexico is the 5th largest state in the union and as such it has many complex and interwoven ecosystems. A coyote in the Southeast corner of the state where the primary habitat is desert will probably have a very different diet than a coyote living in the mountain around Chama in North Central New Mexico. Once we better understand these differences we will be more equipped to manage, conserve and protect our wildlife. less ↑