Ep. 256 : Apple Scat of Coyotes and Red Fox

In the later part of the Summer, I was walking with my friend and colleague Tamara when we came across some scat with Apples (Malus domestica) in it. I can’t remember what brought it up but she mentioned that she has seen more scats composed mostly of Apple left by Coyotes (Canis latrans) rather than by Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). This got me wondering.. who eats more Apples, Coyotes or Red Foxes? This question began a weird hook in my mind, and everytime I noticed Apples, Apple based scat, Coyote scat or Red Fox scat, the question would come to mind.

I decided I would go for a walk and try and measure a ton of scats, look for evidence one way or another and see if I could get any closer to an answer. Ended up making the show about this question.

Correction: 3 ft is equal to 91.44 cm. A yard is longer than a meter.

To learn more :
Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch and Casey McFarland. Stackpole Books, 2nd ed., 2019.
Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes. Harper Perennial, 1999.
American Wildlife and Plants : A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zim, Arnold L. Nelson. Dover Publications, 1951.
Behaviour of North American Mammals by Mark Elbroch and Kurt Rinehart. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

Second scat measured during the show