twz801's Journal

08/28/17
Time: 3:39 PM
Climate: Mostly sunny, very hot/dry, no wind
Habitat: Low brushes, cacti, grass, dirt, at the base of a mountain
Discovery: Skat

I made a trip to Cedar Canyon Nature Park to familiarize myself with the area and possible mammalian inhabitants along with my lab group. Crucial aspects of inspecting nature were noted such as: skat, location, foilage, etc. in order to gain an understanding of what goes into documentation of a mammal's presence. iNaturalist was also experimented with and talked about, as well as discussing important ideas for teaching and interacting with the youth whom will be joining future excursions.

Date: 09/18/17
Locality: CCNP (Cedar Canyon Nature Park)
Directions: Up the canyon from Cedar City East Elementary School
Habitat: Base of a mountain, flora includes low shrubs and pines
Fellow observers: I was alone
Time of day: 11:30 AM
Amount: Roughly 5 minutes
Wind: 2
Temperature: 69 F
Sky conditions and precipitation: Clear, 0 percent chance
Elevation: About 8,000 ft.
Species list: There were two species' scat observed (Cerivade, and some form of carnivora)

Today, I went to CCNP and observed what appears to be scat of a carnivore. The reason for this conclusion is the formation of scat and size. Usually, if it was of deer, rabbit, or rodents, the scat may be clustered in spheres or ovular shape. This scat appears to be of one piece.

Date: 09/18/17
Locality: Cedar Canyon Nature Park (CCNP)
Directions: From Southern Utah University (300-430 W 200 S, Cedar City, Utah 84720), in 350 ft. turn right onto S 300 W, in 150 ft. turn left onto W 200 S, head up that street until you reach the canyon road, then stop at the second stop to your right when heading up the canyon
Habitat: Base of a mountain (mildly steep slope), flora included low shrubs (roughly 4 ft. and pines (roughly 15 ft., grasses no more than 2 ft. tall, etc.), grass and shrubs were spread scarcely
Fellow observers: Tylee Trevizo (group members were scattered)
Time of day: 3:15 PM
Amount: Roughly an hour of walking to find observations, 5 minute spent on this location
Wind: Beaufort scale, 1
Temperature: 73 F
Sky conditions and precipitation: Mostly clear, 0 percent chance
Elevation: About 5,900 ft.
Species list: There were three species' scats observed (Cerivade, and some form of carnivora, as well as lagomorpha), no other species observed

I traveled to CCNP and took observations regarding mammal diversity. I noticed what appears to be scat of a carnivore - possibly a domesticated canine. I am concluding this notion because of the formation of scat and size. The location of the scat was not far from the trail and thus also leading me to believe it is from a dog.