If the Mac Came Back
by Pasadena Adjacent
I had a post at the ready, but the Mac did not come back. In truth, he left rather graciously. Even so, the poops still growing wings and taking flight. As for me, due to my passion for the living (adios Sara) natural glories of the San Gabriel’s, I was in no mood to waste a perfectly good scat identification opportunity. Queen Victoria, your opinion? Anyone? I have theories, what’s yours? hint: big. If you should choose to select the image…very very big
……….
Pasadena Adjacent 
Based on your hint, my guess is either related to a cat or someone is having plumbing problems.
LikeLike
I guess a bear or McCain lost his load when he lost.
LikeLike
Good one Rebecca, completely undiplomatic, I approve. Not everyone has so quickly forgotten the skank a dank of recent months. I’m guessing bear also.
LikeLike
PA, isn’t this your zen Thursday?
LikeLike
You’re timing couldn’t be better. How did you know that last night I was at an event where I had guests identifying poop? Yes, I had 5 bags of poop out on a table and guests had to identify them as either elephant, rhino, giraffe, koala, or panda poop. Poop can be deceiving. People kept guessing that the largest pile was elephant, when in fact it was rhino poop. They also guessed that the smallest poop pellets belonged to koalas instead of giraffe. They thought the panda turd was giraffe poop and the koala poop pellets (much larger than giraffe poop pellets) belonged to the panda. They probably would have guessed correctly if I had let them smell the koala poop–it smells like what they eat.
Without examining your poop in person, here are my theories:
Did you find it on a path? Coyotes like to travel
and poop on paths to mark out territory. Next time you find scat, take a stick and dig through it. If there is vegetation (berries, seeds, plant stuff) along with fur, it’s probably coyote.
I’m guessing that cougars, like domestic cats would
hide their poop. And as the saying goes, “Do bears shit in
the woods?” I’m guessing that you won’t find bear poop out in the open either.
You did say it was big and that would rule out coyote. Bears are omnivores, but they eat mostly vegetation. Since your poop looks pretty hairy, I’ll go with cougar….and that’s my final answer.
On a personal note….my favorite poop is called coprolite (meaning “dung stone”). It is fossilized feces or dino poop. Coprolite comes in different shapes and sizes (depending on the animal it came from). Its color depends on the type of soil and mineral in which it was buried. When it has been tumbled and polished its very pretty and can be made into jewlery.
LikeLike
That’s a crappadoccia.
I want a lapel pin.
LikeLike
Hmmm, my next tile. After I finish my cup of civet coffee.
LikeLike
what a cool cool week.
Just when I was ready to give up on the US electorate.
Wow, the energy around American politics information/communication has shifted dramatically.
I just hope this smarter trend lasts for a while.
It’s been great talking election season on the trail with you, since I’ve avoided talking about it in most public settings–
LikeLike
Good to the last droppings.
LikeLike
My favorite news quote on election night:
“We’ve handed Obama a manure sandwich….now what’s he going to do with it?”
LikeLike
I found this: “Cougars will deposit their scat in the middle of trails and dirt roads as a territorial marking. They will sometimes scrape together a pile of debris and urinate or defecate on it. This is another form of territorial marking.”
Cougar, be careful
Debra Erickson
Executive Director
Kerzner Marine Foundation
http://www.kerznermarinefoundation.org
LikeLike
Artists– the Sunday Salon is one of the newer ventures we’ve established up here at the Gallery At The End Of The World.
part Art Show / part Workshop & Networking Event, the Sunday Salon is designed for artists to come up, show their work, hang out with other artists and swap info about techniques, tactics, other upcoming arts events, etc. In addition to all the GATEotw’s regular artists, we also invite ALL artists to be a part. It’s a fun introduction to the Gallery At The End Of The World universe. We also invite a select list of art lovers, collectors, gallery owners, interior designers, appraisers, etc, so that you can actually SELL your work at the salon, too, and/or get picked up for additional shows at some of the other galleries we work with.
TO SHOW ART AT THE SUNDAY SALON:
-next salon is Sunday, NOVEMBER 23rd, 12noon-dusk
-show up at 11am with the work you intend to show; make sure it is ready to hang; the gallery can provide hammer, nails, screws, and other wall hardware
-$20 co-op fee to reserve display space for the day, plus 20% of sales to the gallery (co-op fee helps pay for cashier, security, catering, vino, etc)
-our friendly cashier will handle all sales transactions for you; all sales proceeds will be waiting in an envelope for you at the end of the day
hens teeth art collective is also having an exhibit November 8th at hens teeth square in altaden featuring one of our resident artists johnny fox, see the attached flyer for details!
please try and come out to show your support!
GATEow
LikeLike
So when are you going to give us the “scoop on poop.” I once pitched a book with that title and Tricycle Press was very interested. In the end (no pun intended) they passed (no pun intended again) because they couldn’t visualize how the book would look.
LikeLike
Bears, Cats, McCain, coffee and jewlery oh my!
The scoop on poop (nod to Susan)
I found this rather large Pile on my way to Mount Lukens (Lukens was a friend of John Muir and it’s the highest mountain on the chain). I started out at Trash Tuesday #8 following the creek bed and made my way past where the Rim of the Valley trail hooked up with this fire road that I was on. A mile up from that point I found the big one. Since it had rained recently, I found no identifying tracks. My theory is that it’s three piles. To the right is scrawny coyote dung. A bear passed through and pooped on top of it. As a territorial gesture? I don’t know. The middle pile is void of hair while the top pile is loaded with it. Cougars are territorial and will poop on another’s poop to let you know. Want to hear a cougar purr? listen….
[audio src="http://www.tdscats.com/wav_files/cougar_purring.wav" /]
Bear poop
http://www.bear-tracker.com/blackbearscat.html
Cougar scat
http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/vines/1318/scat.html
Coyote, bear, cougar… my final answer
Queen V: Thanks for the very informative lecture of scat. Riviting! I hope grandmother’s good china was involved. I wrote the Museum of Jurasic Technology a letter suggesting the idea of presenting jewelry made from animal gallstones. Perhaps more interest would be afforded me if I suggested Coprolite.
Mary: (whisper) I know! it has been fun
Ms O Looney: you are a master of the spoken word. One is in the oven now
AH: I was forced to look up Civit.
Ms Debra: you provided my theory with evidence. Ms Debra is doing wonderful work in Oman. Some of the woman are showing great interest.
Susan: we’ll talk
LikeLike
Stanley will take care of the, uh, monument.
LikeLike
A little too late for a guess but I would of been wrong anyway. Oh well…
LikeLike