Hotline: (707) 526-WILD(9453) ~ Bussiness Office: (707) 992-0274 ~ Exclusion Service/Fax: (707) 992-0276
Location: 403 Mecham Rd, Petaluma Ca 94952
Mailing Address: PO Box 448, Cotati Ca 94931
I Found an Animal
Mammal
Raptor-Bird of Prey
Songbird
Water bird
If you have found any of the above animals click on the corresponding link to the species you have found to read more information about how and where to transport the animal and facts about the species' habits.
If you have found an animal after regular bussiness hours, please contact our Rescue Hotline at 526-WILD
Species Identification:
If you have found an animal you can't identify read the characteristics below for help.
Western Gray Squirrel:
Identifying characteristics: Gray body, white belly and large bushy gray and white tail. It will run and jump from tree to tree and will climb on roofs and nest in eaves. Babies will follow you looking for food, check for nest and return if nest found.
Size: 45-60 cm including tail
Scat: small round pellet like scat
Red Fox Squirrel:
Identifying Characteristics: Gray body, red belly and large bushy gray and red tail. Usually only found in Sebastopol. Non native introduced species with similar attributes to the Gray Squirrel- see above.
Size: 45-60 cm including tail
Scat: small round pellet like scat
Opossum:
Identifying Characteristics: large gray body, small pointy white face, pink nose, pink to black ears (depending on age) and long hairless tail. Likes to wander through yards scavenging for food. Generally non-aggressive and not known to attack unless provoked. Defense is to open it's mouth really wide to show all its teeth, drool, defecate and then play dead. Babies are able to be on their own at 7 inches without the tail.
Size: 13-37 inches without tail
Scat: cylindrical scat up to medium dog size with the potential to have berries and fruit in it.
Mountain Lion:
Identifying Characteristics: Brownish-beige body with cream under belly, long black tipped tail, and distinct white muzzle. Roams in large ranges. When they kill something they hide it and will return to that spot for a few weeks or until the food is gone and then they will move on. Most often found in areas where deer live. If you see a Mountain Lion and are concerned, please call Fish and Game at (707) 944-5531.
Size: 2.5-3.5 feet tall and 8 feet long nose to tail
Scat: Large dog or larger cylindrical scat. Can sometimes see fur or bones within the scat. Most often found where deer populations are known to inhabit.
Bobcat:
Identifying Characteristics: Beige to golden body with brown spots throughout, small bobbed tail and fluffy cheeks. Note: spots can range from not visible to very dark. They eat small mammals like rabbits, rats and mice. They may eat cats, goats, chickens and peacocks, however they don't venture into largely inhabited areas often.
Size: 20-24 inches tall and 28-40 inches long.
Scat: Small dog to medium dog sized cylindrical scat. Sometimes fur or bones will be within the scat.
Gray Fox:
Identifying Characteristics: gray body with red highlights on legs, tail, and cheeks and white highlights on chest, tail, and cheeks, and large bushy tail. Creates seasonal den sites to have babies and loves to use decks as its den site. They are generally non-aggressive and will live peacefully with domestic pets, including cats as long as they are not threatened first. They are very beneficial to the environment because of all the rodents they eat.
Size: 31.5-41.3 inches with tail. Slightly larger than a house cat.
Scat: Cylindrical scat the size of a house cat's or small dog. Berries and other fruits may be present.
Raccoon:
If you have found an animal you can't identify read the characteristics below for help.
Western Gray Squirrel:
Identifying characteristics: Gray body, white belly and large bushy gray and white tail. It will run and jump from tree to tree and will climb on roofs and nest in eaves. Babies will follow you looking for food, check for nest and return if nest found.
Size: 45-60 cm including tail
Scat: small round pellet like scat
Red Fox Squirrel:
Identifying Characteristics: Gray body, red belly and large bushy gray and red tail. Usually only found in Sebastopol. Non native introduced species with similar attributes to the Gray Squirrel- see above.
Size: 45-60 cm including tail
Scat: small round pellet like scat
Opossum:
Identifying Characteristics: large gray body, small pointy white face, pink nose, pink to black ears (depending on age) and long hairless tail. Likes to wander through yards scavenging for food. Generally non-aggressive and not known to attack unless provoked. Defense is to open it's mouth really wide to show all its teeth, drool, defecate and then play dead. Babies are able to be on their own at 7 inches without the tail.
Size: 13-37 inches without tail
Scat: cylindrical scat up to medium dog size with the potential to have berries and fruit in it.
Mountain Lion:
Identifying Characteristics: Brownish-beige body with cream under belly, long black tipped tail, and distinct white muzzle. Roams in large ranges. When they kill something they hide it and will return to that spot for a few weeks or until the food is gone and then they will move on. Most often found in areas where deer live. If you see a Mountain Lion and are concerned, please call Fish and Game at (707) 944-5531.
Size: 2.5-3.5 feet tall and 8 feet long nose to tail
Scat: Large dog or larger cylindrical scat. Can sometimes see fur or bones within the scat. Most often found where deer populations are known to inhabit.
Bobcat:
Identifying Characteristics: Beige to golden body with brown spots throughout, small bobbed tail and fluffy cheeks. Note: spots can range from not visible to very dark. They eat small mammals like rabbits, rats and mice. They may eat cats, goats, chickens and peacocks, however they don't venture into largely inhabited areas often.
Size: 20-24 inches tall and 28-40 inches long.
Scat: Small dog to medium dog sized cylindrical scat. Sometimes fur or bones will be within the scat.
Gray Fox:
Identifying Characteristics: gray body with red highlights on legs, tail, and cheeks and white highlights on chest, tail, and cheeks, and large bushy tail. Creates seasonal den sites to have babies and loves to use decks as its den site. They are generally non-aggressive and will live peacefully with domestic pets, including cats as long as they are not threatened first. They are very beneficial to the environment because of all the rodents they eat.
Size: 31.5-41.3 inches with tail. Slightly larger than a house cat.
Scat: Cylindrical scat the size of a house cat's or small dog. Berries and other fruits may be present.
Raccoon:
Identifying Characteristics: Large brown/gray body, bandit like mask around eyes, striped black and gray tail.
Size: 24-36 inches without tail. Between 8 and 20 pounds. Raccoons can be aggressive when they feel threatened or they feel they need to protect themselves, food or their babies. They are attracted to pet food left out in yards, open garbage cans and shelter provided by homes, sheds and garages. They have ranges and will travel to many different places for food throughout the night. They are most commonly affected by distemper in Sonoma County, which causes them to act friendly and will eventually lead to seizures.
Scat: Cylindrical scat between house cat and medium dog size. Very likely to have berries and fruit in it.
Coyote:
Identifying Characteristics: Beige body with highlights of brown and white throughout. Dog-like appearance. Lives in packs. Will eat chickens, possibly cats and sometimes sheep but will most often eat rodents they find in the wild. They don't like human inhabited areas but will come around if there is a plentiful food source.
Size:30-34 inches without tail and 20-40 pounds.
Scat: Cylindrical scat the size of a medium to large dog.
Skunk:
Identifying Characteristics: Black bodies with very distinct stripes along back and on the face. Large black and white tail. They spray a pungent, odorous yellow substance when scared or startled, but will always worn by stomping first. They love to dig in the dirt for bugs and can consume hundreds of bugs a week.
Size: 13-18 inches and a weight of 2.5-8 pounds
Scat: Small cat size or smaller cylindrical scat with the potential to have fruit and berries in feces.
Mexican Free-tailed Bat:
Identifying Characteristics: Small brown body with "free tail"; the tail is not incased in a skin membrane.
Size: approximately 3.5 inches long. They love dark, quiet, and warm places and they nest in groups. Their feces is a great fertilizer and they can consume hundreds of bugs a day including mosquitos, which can carry West Nile. If they fall on the ground they can not fly away. They must climb higher or they will die on the ground. If you find a bat on the ground and it looks healthy put him in a box, jar or bucket with a glove on or a towel and set the box somewhere high like a tree or fence (somewhere it can drop down from without hitting the ground) and put the box on the side so the bat can climb out on his own and fly away.
Scat: small to extremely small circular to cylindrical shaped scat that will crumble when rolled between the fingers unlike rat or mouse scat. Usually found under eaves, roof line, or in attic.
California Myotis Bat:
Identifying characteristics: Small brown body with a tail enclosed in a skin membrane, which connects to the legs. They love dark, quiet, and warm places and they nest in groups. Their feces is a great fertilizer and they can consume hundreds of bugs a day including mosquitos, which can carry West Nile. If they fall on the ground they can not fly away. They must climb higher or they will die on the ground. If you find a bat on the ground and it looks healthy put him in a box, jar or bucket with a glove on or a towel and set the box somewhere high like a tree or fence (somewhere it can drop down from without hitting the ground) and put the box on the side so the bat can climb out on his own and fly away.
Size: approximately 3.5 inches long
Scat: small to extremely small circular to cylindrical shaped scat that will crumble when rolled between the fingers unlike rat or mouse scat. Usually found under eaves, roof line, or in attic.
Red-tailed Hawk:
Identifying Characteristics: Brown wings on back with a red to beige/cream under belly and chest and a distinct brick red to rust red tail. Note: Juveniles do not have red tails. Often perch on telephones or trees overlooking open fields to watch for prey.
Size: 18-30 inches. Males are slightly smaller than females.
Red-shouldered Hawk:
Identifying Characteristics: Brown backside, red to beige/cream or brownish under belly and chest, distinct white and black barred tail and brown mottled wings with a red shoulder. Note: Juveniles do not have red shoulders. Often perch on telephones or trees overlooking open fields to watch for prey.
Size: 17-24 inches. Males are slightly smaller than females.
Size: 24-36 inches without tail. Between 8 and 20 pounds. Raccoons can be aggressive when they feel threatened or they feel they need to protect themselves, food or their babies. They are attracted to pet food left out in yards, open garbage cans and shelter provided by homes, sheds and garages. They have ranges and will travel to many different places for food throughout the night. They are most commonly affected by distemper in Sonoma County, which causes them to act friendly and will eventually lead to seizures.
Scat: Cylindrical scat between house cat and medium dog size. Very likely to have berries and fruit in it.
Defecates in latrines (one area).
Coyote:
Identifying Characteristics: Beige body with highlights of brown and white throughout. Dog-like appearance. Lives in packs. Will eat chickens, possibly cats and sometimes sheep but will most often eat rodents they find in the wild. They don't like human inhabited areas but will come around if there is a plentiful food source.
Size:30-34 inches without tail and 20-40 pounds.
Scat: Cylindrical scat the size of a medium to large dog.
Skunk:
Identifying Characteristics: Black bodies with very distinct stripes along back and on the face. Large black and white tail. They spray a pungent, odorous yellow substance when scared or startled, but will always worn by stomping first. They love to dig in the dirt for bugs and can consume hundreds of bugs a week.
Size: 13-18 inches and a weight of 2.5-8 pounds
Scat: Small cat size or smaller cylindrical scat with the potential to have fruit and berries in feces.
Mexican Free-tailed Bat:
Identifying Characteristics: Small brown body with "free tail"; the tail is not incased in a skin membrane.
Size: approximately 3.5 inches long. They love dark, quiet, and warm places and they nest in groups. Their feces is a great fertilizer and they can consume hundreds of bugs a day including mosquitos, which can carry West Nile. If they fall on the ground they can not fly away. They must climb higher or they will die on the ground. If you find a bat on the ground and it looks healthy put him in a box, jar or bucket with a glove on or a towel and set the box somewhere high like a tree or fence (somewhere it can drop down from without hitting the ground) and put the box on the side so the bat can climb out on his own and fly away.
Scat: small to extremely small circular to cylindrical shaped scat that will crumble when rolled between the fingers unlike rat or mouse scat. Usually found under eaves, roof line, or in attic.
California Myotis Bat:
Identifying characteristics: Small brown body with a tail enclosed in a skin membrane, which connects to the legs. They love dark, quiet, and warm places and they nest in groups. Their feces is a great fertilizer and they can consume hundreds of bugs a day including mosquitos, which can carry West Nile. If they fall on the ground they can not fly away. They must climb higher or they will die on the ground. If you find a bat on the ground and it looks healthy put him in a box, jar or bucket with a glove on or a towel and set the box somewhere high like a tree or fence (somewhere it can drop down from without hitting the ground) and put the box on the side so the bat can climb out on his own and fly away.
Size: approximately 3.5 inches long
Scat: small to extremely small circular to cylindrical shaped scat that will crumble when rolled between the fingers unlike rat or mouse scat. Usually found under eaves, roof line, or in attic.
Red-tailed Hawk:
Identifying Characteristics: Brown wings on back with a red to beige/cream under belly and chest and a distinct brick red to rust red tail. Note: Juveniles do not have red tails. Often perch on telephones or trees overlooking open fields to watch for prey.
Size: 18-30 inches. Males are slightly smaller than females.
Red-shouldered Hawk:
Identifying Characteristics: Brown backside, red to beige/cream or brownish under belly and chest, distinct white and black barred tail and brown mottled wings with a red shoulder. Note: Juveniles do not have red shoulders. Often perch on telephones or trees overlooking open fields to watch for prey.
Size: 17-24 inches. Males are slightly smaller than females.
Hotline: (707) 526-WILD(9453) ~ Bussiness Office: (707) 992-0274 ~ Exclusion Service/Fax: (707) 992-0276
Location: 403 Mecham Rd, Petaluma Ca 94952
Mailing Address: PO Box 448, Cotati Ca 94931
