What does a pine marten scat look like?
A typical ‘textbook’ description of a pine marten scat is: dark in colour with a coiled twisted form, typical of most mustelids. They can be between 4cm to 12cm in length and about the thickness of a finger. However, in reality, pine marten scats can vary considerably in size and morphology. In autumn, berries can make up a large part of a pine marten diet, which may make their scats have a blue/purple colouring and be gelatinous in form. Food remains can be seen in droppings and may comprise fur, feathers, bone, plant content and seeds. Pine marten scats are often described as sweet smelling (their smell has been likened to parma violets!).
