The Hair Scale Identification Guide to Terrestrial Mammalian Carnivores of Canada

By Justin Kestler

Mammalian predators are keystone species in any ecosystem. But many are elusive by nature and have territories that cover large areas of land, which makes them challenging to monitor. When tracks and signs prove difficult to interpret or are non-existent, hair samples recovered from the field offer a fantastic resource – one that is often overlooked.

The Hair Scale Identification Guide to Terrestrial Mammalian Carnivores of Canada provides a fully illustrated, up-to-date hair scale reference for all 25 of the terrestrial carnivorous mammals of Canada. From the tiny least weasel (Mustela nivalis) to the giant polar bear (Ursus maritimus), unique traits – as well as tricky similarities – can clearly be observed through hair scale patterns magnified at the medial portion of the hair impression. These scale patterns aid in species identification when hair is the only possible evidence available.

This guide also outlines hair impression techniques for samples found in the field, assisting ecologists and technicians with wildlife monitoring studies on predatory mammals where additional identification is required. Including range maps and key identification characteristics for all species represented, as well as superb images of hair scale impressions at two magnification levels, this book is a comprehensive tool for animal hair ID.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pelagic Publishing
• Release date: Jul 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781784272838

Justin Kestler

Justin Kestler is a wildlife technician and outdoor educator. He graduated from Sault College’s School of Natural Environment and earned a communications degree from the University of Toronto. He’s been involved in various wildlife monitoring projects and worked as a field technician for Natural Resources Canada, McMaster University and the University of Alberta.

Book preview

THE HAIR SCALE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE TO

Terrestrial Mammalian Carnivores of Canada

JUSTIN KESTLER

PELAGIC PUBLISHING

Published by Pelagic Publishing

20–22 Wenlock Road

London N1 7GU,

UK

www.pelagicpublishing.com

The Hair Scale Identification Guide to Terrestrial Mammalian Carnivores of Canada

Copyright © 2022 Justin Kestler

The moral rights of the author have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. Apart from short excerpts for use in research or for reviews, no part of this document may be printed or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, now known or hereafter invented or otherwise without prior permission from the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-78427-282-1 Pbk

ISBN 978-1-78427-283-8 ePub

ISBN 978-1-78427-284-5 PDF

https://doi.org/10.53061/YGXZ6719

All photographs © Justin Kestler unless mentioned below

Cover images: Grizzly bear in a river on a rainy day, Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada © iStock/Paul Sahota; grizzly bear hair 50×; grizzly bear hair 200×.

pp.14–15: Red fox in countryside © Adobe Stock/Mark Medcalf. pp.28–29: Canadian lynx in the wild © Adobe Stock/Jillian. pp.36–37: Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) looks down side of log © Adobe Stock/Geoff Kuchera. pp.42–43: