Animal Evidence in the Sand

I mentioned HUGE white bird poop splats in my last entry. Although these seem unpleasant to us, they are good signs because it means that animals have been there.
We call this “animal evidence,” or proof that an animal has passed through an area. We know an ecosystem is healthy if there are many different kinds of animals, and lots of those different animals. Look at the picture above and then try to guess, from the animal evidence, what animals traveled across the sand. If you said humans, you must have seen the shoe prints and the bicycle tire tracks. What do you think made the wiggly line going up through the center of the photo? If you said, “A SNAKE,” you are correct! The snake left behind a track about 2” wide. Was it a rattlesnake? I have seen a few rattlesnakes on trails. I just walk around them carefully. What animal evidence can you find in your neighborhood?

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