NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Damage Identification 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?

Accepted Answer

Norway rat

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

White-tailed deer

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Woodpecker

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

The presence or absence of claw marks

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Mole

Answer

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.

NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Practice Test

NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Practice Test

NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Damage Identification Questions and Answers