communal moose latrine

i was reading some articles recently about evidence that we are not the only species that uses a communal latrine.

certainly recently i have come across a communal moose latrine.

if you are traveling the cranberry peak trail between arnold's well and the summit, you pass through maybe a quarter mile of trail that is full up nearly ankle-high with what appears to be the accumulated shit of every moose in the district over a period of months.

i am kind of a fan of moose poop; when you look at the pellets the moose leave behind, you can tell how recently moose have been by, how often they come by, and a lot of other interesting things. because moose are kind of reclusive animals, often scats and tracks are your best indicators that moose are present with you in the woods.

in this case, however, all you really learn is that this section of trail is being used by a number of animals over a long period of time as a communal latrine. you learn that your idea of how much moose shit was possible to accumulate in one place before it disintegrates was wildly underestimated.