NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Species Identification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which physical feature BEST distinguishes a coyote from a similarly-sized domestic dog at a distance?
- Coyotes are always gray
- Coyotes carry their tail low and straight when running, below the back line (Correct answer)
- Coyotes have floppy ears
- Coyotes are always larger than dogs
Correct answer: Coyotes carry their tail low and straight when running, below the back line
Coyotes characteristically carry their tail low and straight when running, unlike most domestic dogs.
Tail carriage is the most reliable distance identifier. Coyotes carry their bushy tail below the back line, especially when running. Most dogs hold their tail up or curled. Additional features include a bouncing gait, proportionally larger erect ears, narrow pointed muzzle, and leaner build.
Question 2: What key difference distinguishes opossum droppings from raccoon droppings?
- Opossum droppings are always green
- Opossum droppings are pointed and smooth while raccoon droppings are tubular with visible seeds or berries (Correct answer)
- No visible difference exists
- Raccoon droppings are always smaller
Correct answer: Opossum droppings are pointed and smooth while raccoon droppings are tubular with visible seeds or berries
Opossum droppings are pointed and smooth; raccoon droppings are tubular with blunt ends containing visible food remnants.
Opossum feces are 1-2 inches long, pointed, and relatively smooth. Raccoon feces are 2-3 inches, tubular with blunt ends, containing seeds, corn kernels, and crayfish shell fragments. Raccoons use communal latrines while opossum feces are scattered. Always use gloves and respiratory protection when examining wildlife feces.
Question 3: What MOST reliably distinguishes Eastern chipmunk burrows from Norway rat burrows around a foundation?
- Soil color
- Chipmunk burrows are clean with no soil pile; rat burrows have a fan of excavated soil (Correct answer)
- Hole size is identical
- Time of day used
Correct answer: Chipmunk burrows are clean with no soil pile; rat burrows have a fan of excavated soil
Chipmunks carry excavated soil in cheek pouches, leaving a clean entrance, while rats push soil out creating visible mounds.
Chipmunks carry soil away in cheek pouches, resulting in very clean 2-inch burrow entrances. Rat burrows (2-3 inches) have distinctive fan-shaped soil mounds at the entrance. Both burrow near foundations, but this entrance appearance is the most reliable field identification feature.
Question 4: What anatomical feature makes North American porcupines unique among rodents?
- Webbed feet
- Modified hairs (quills) covering the dorsal surface and tail (Correct answer)
- A prehensile tail
- Bioluminescent markings
Correct answer: Modified hairs (quills) covering the dorsal surface and tail
The porcupine's approximately 30,000 barbed quills are unique among North American rodents.
Porcupines have approximately 30,000 modified hairs with barbed tips covering the back, sides, and tail. They are the second-largest North American rodent after beavers. NWCO operators may encounter them damaging wooden structures (gnawing for minerals), vehicle components (road salt), and trees (bark stripping).
Question 5: How can an operator distinguish a weasel from a chipmunk during a brief glimpse?
- Weasels have striped backs
- Weasels have a long, slender body with very short legs and sinuous movement; chipmunks are compact with stripes and a bounding gait (Correct answer)
- They are the same size and shape
- Chipmunks have longer tails
Correct answer: Weasels have a long, slender body with very short legs and sinuous movement; chipmunks are compact with stripes and a bounding gait
The weasel's elongated, snake-like body shape and undulating movement is distinctly different from the chipmunk's compact, striped body with bounding hop.
Weasels have an extremely elongated, tubular body with very short legs, moving in a sinuous, snake-like pattern. Chipmunks have compact bodies with visible dorsal stripes and move in a bounding hop with tail held vertically. Weasels are uniformly colored; chipmunks have alternating light and dark bands.
Question 6: Which feature distinguishes Mexican free-tailed bats from big brown and little brown bats?
- Wing color pattern
- Tail extending visibly beyond the tail membrane (Correct answer)
- All three look identical
- Ear size only
Correct answer: Tail extending visibly beyond the tail membrane
Free-tailed bats have about 1/3 of their tail extending beyond the tail membrane, while other species' tails are fully enclosed.
Mexican free-tailed bats have tail extending beyond the uropatagium (tail membrane), hence 'free-tailed.' Big brown bats and little brown bats have tails completely enclosed within the membrane. Additional features: big browns are larger (forearm >42mm), little browns are smaller (forearm 36-40mm), and free-tailed bats have distinctive wrinkled lips.
NWCO - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Wildlife Species Identification 2
Which physical feature BEST distinguishes a coyote from a similarly-sized domestic dog at a distance?