We speed-hiked through the woods, determined to make it to the high-mountain lake before lunchtime. On that spring morning in Montana’s Swan Valley, nothing sounded better than an afternoon of fishing ...

Feces are a valuable tool in the world of animal identification. It might sound gross, but it’s one of the best ways to determine an animal’s behavior. An animal’s poop, known as scat, tells you where ...

Scientists from the Smithsonian have successfully used swift fox droppings to identify individual animals and collect other data vital to monitoring a reintroduced population in Montana. Ellie ...

Smithsonian researchers used fecal samples to identify specific wild swift foxes. This method allows for non-invasive monitoring, which reduces stress for the animals. Wes Overvold, Smithsonian’s ...

Learn how animal scat reveals DNA insights on species, population size, diet, and movement—helping scientists protect ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Here's how to tell whether those pellets on the ground came from a deer. If you live or recreate anywhere in the United States, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This ...