Pelts, Skulls, Tracks, and Scat

Outdoor Nature Explorers has been using  pelts and replica skulls on loan from the Minnesota Safari Club to learn more about our local wildlife.  The students were fascinated by the coyote and beaver teeth. The carnivore coyote has sharp pointed teeth while the beaver has flatter molars for chewing soft branches and twigs from willow and birch trees.  We were also interested in the nasal cavities. The larger the sinus area, the better the sense of smell.
The scat samples helped us identify coyote scat at Eagle Creek Elementary in Shakopee.