NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Damage Identification Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An inspector finds damage to electrical wiring in a crawlspace. The gnaw marks consist of paired, parallel grooves about 1/8-inch wide. Which animal is the most likely cause?
- Gray squirrel
- Norway rat (Correct answer)
- Raccoon
- Opossum
Correct answer: Norway rat
Rodents like rats and mice have upper and lower incisors that leave distinct, parallel gnaw marks. The 1/8-inch width is characteristic of a rat's incisors. Squirrels leave wider gnaw marks, while raccoons and opossums do not have the continuously growing incisors that result in this type of focused, parallel gnawing damage.
Question 2: A client's ornamental shrubs have damage on stems from the ground up to about 4 feet high. The ends of the twigs and stems appear torn and ragged, not cleanly cut. What animal is the most likely cause of this damage?
- Vole
- Woodchuck
- Eastern cottontail rabbit
- White-tailed deer (Correct answer)
Correct answer: White-tailed deer
White-tailed deer lack upper incisors, so they must grasp and tear vegetation, which leaves a ragged or shredded appearance on browsed stems. Rabbits and woodchucks have sharp upper and lower incisors that create a clean, angled cut. Voles typically girdle stems at the base rather than browsing on higher branches.
Question 3: A homeowner reports numerous small to medium-sized, irregularly shaped holes drilled into their cedar siding, some arranged in horizontal or vertical lines. What is the most likely cause of this damage?
- Woodpecker (Correct answer)
- Carpenter bee
- Flying squirrel
- Bat
Correct answer: Woodpecker
Woodpeckers create holes in wooden structures for foraging, nesting, or drumming. The pattern of multiple, sometimes linear, drilled holes is characteristic of their foraging behavior. Carpenter bees create perfectly round holes. Squirrels gnaw larger, rougher entry points, and bats do not create holes.
Question 4: Which of the following is the most reliable single characteristic for distinguishing a wild canid (e.g., coyote, fox) track from a wild felid (e.g., bobcat) track?
- The overall shape being more oval than round
- The shape of the main heel pad
- The presence or absence of claw marks (Correct answer)
- The number of toes visible in the track
Correct answer: The presence or absence of claw marks
Felids, like bobcats, have retractable claws that typically do not show up in their tracks. Canids, like coyotes and foxes, cannot retract their claws, so their tracks almost always show claw marks. While other features are helpful, this is the most consistent and reliable distinguishing characteristic.
Question 5: A client complains of damage to their lawn consisting primarily of a network of raised ridges of soil that wind across the turf. These ridges are the tops of shallow tunnels. Which animal is the most likely cause?
- Vole
- Mole (Correct answer)
- Norway Rat
- Pocket Gopher
Correct answer: Mole
Moles are insectivores that create raised surface tunnels or ridges as they "swim" through the soil searching for earthworms and grubs just below the surface. Voles create surface runways by eating grass but do not push up soil ridges. Pocket gophers create fan-shaped mounds from deeper tunnels, not raised surface ridges. Rats may burrow, but do not create extensive networks of raised turf ridges.
Question 6: During an inspection of a residential backyard, you find numerous small, hard, pea-sized, spherical droppings in a scattered pile under a dense shrub. What is the most likely source of this scat?
- Opossum
- Raccoon
- Norway rat
- Eastern cottontail rabbit (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Eastern cottontail rabbit
Eastern cottontail rabbits produce very distinct, hard, round, pea-like pellets. Raccoon scat is tubular and contains undigested food. Opossum scat is smoother and tapered. Rat droppings are smaller, dark, and spindle-shaped.
NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Damage Identification Questions and Answers
An inspector finds damage to electrical wiring in a crawlspace.
The gnaw marks consist of paired, parallel grooves about 1/8-inch wide.
Which animal is the most likely cause?