Bark
Norway rat
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Norway rat damage to / stripping of bark.
There are records of Norway rats stripping bark from trees .
Can be confused with:
Other species such as deer, possums, rabbits and hares may strip bark from trees.
Possum
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Possum chews on kamihi, Stewart Island.
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Possum incisor teeth marks on bark.
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Possum bark biting pigeonwood.
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Possum bite marking on pine tree.
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Possum bark damage.
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Possum damage on fivefinger tree.
Short horizontal bark biting on bark are most likely to be possum. Possums chew bark as a way to mark territory and they often use the same tree year after year. You should be able to see two parallel lines with a narrow higher strip in between (left by the gap between the middle incisor teeth on the upper jaw). If the two incisor marks are wider than 5mm it is most likely a possum.
You might also see claw scratches as they climb up and down – scratches from claws often wrap around the trunk on a slant.
Can be confused with:
Many other species bite bark, but mostly more up and down. The tooth-marks of possums are also quite different to that of other species. Check out the other species and other vegetation sign to make sure. Other culprits are; fallow deer, red deer, rusa deer, sambar deer, sika deer, white-tailed deer, rabbit, hare, Norway rat, ship rat, kiore, mouse, cat, feral pig, and feral goat.
Read more about this speciesRabbit (European)
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Rabbit-damaged shrub.
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Rabbit damage to tree bark, showing typical height above ground and type of damage.
Rabbits will gnaw on bark, weakening the tree and leaving it vulnerable to infection. They target trees of all ages and if the bark is removed all the way round the trunk (ring barking), the tree will die above that point. Rabbits (and hares) have a groove down the centre of the upper incisor teeth. The grooves in these teeth can show up in bitemarks as a distinctive scalloped outline, which helps to distinguish them from marks of other species such as possums. (See more on the Landcare Research chewcard guide.)
Rabbits will also eat the growing tips of seedlings and saplings, which can prevent regeneration of tree species.
Can be confused with:
Possums, hares, goats and deer will also eat tree bark. Looking for other pest sign (such as droppings and footprints) will enable you to correctly identify the culprit responsible.
Read more about this speciesBrown hare
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Hare damage to bark, close-up.
Hares can cause severe damage to the bark of young trees up to a height of 1 m – commonly seen in restoration planting areas, plantation forests, parks and orchards. Field sign may also include uneaten chips of wood and bark left scattered round the base of the tree. Hares (and rabbits) have a groove down the centre of the upper incisor teeth. The grooves in these teeth can show up in bitemarks as a distinctive scalloped outline, which helps to distinguish from marks of other species such as possums. (See more on the Landcare Research chewcard guide.)
Can be confused with:
Rabbit browse on bark look very similar but generally reaches only to 0.8m height compared to 1.0 m with hares. Deer and goats also chew on bark but, compared to hares, the teethmarks are wider, will usually extend further up the stem and damage extends less often down to ground level. Deer and goat damage often looks like bark ‘stripping’ rather than gnawing bite marks. Bark damage inflicted by deer rubbing their antlers are unlikely to be in the hare height range and do not leave teethmarks.
Read more about this speciesGoat
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Goat bark damage on five finger.
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Bark removal by feral goats.
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Feral goat damage to coprosma.
Goats are able to survive on many plant species that are often considered unpalatable to other ungulates. They can digest roughage and harsh woody vegetation, including the bark and branches of some species. Goats were deliberately used by early settlers to prevent the spread of species such as blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) on newly cleared land.
Can be confused with:
Removal of bark from trees by goats will sometimes be confused with antler rubbing by deer. Goat teeth marks may be obvious in the soft wood underneath, although deer can also scrape their teeth down a trunk.
Fallow deer
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Fallow deer rub on coprosma.
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Fallow deer bark rub in a Douglas fir plantation.
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Fallow deer bark damage to mature trees.
Male fallow deer (stags) often rub bark off a tree using their antlers. This can kill the tree, particularly if the bark is removed from right around the tree (ring barking). Stags rub their antlers on trees for two main reasons: 1) to remove the velvet from their antlers (in autumn), and 2) and to mark their territory.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by fallow deer looks like bark rubbing by other species of deer, and may also be confused with bark rubbing by pigs and bark stripping/biting by goats.
Sika deer
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Sika stag bark damage caused by rubbing antlers against the tree.
Male sika deer (stags) often rub bark off a tree using their antlers. This can kill the tree, particularly if the bark is removed from right around the tree (ring barking).
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by other species of deer and by pigs looks similar to bark rubbing carried out by sika deer. The height of the rubbing and fur left behind might help distinguish which species is responsible.
Rusa (Javan) deer
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Rusa deer bark damage.
Male rusa deer (stags) often rub bark off a tree using their antlers. This can kill the tree, particularly if the bark is removed from right around the tree (ring barking). Stags rub their antlers on trees for two main reasons: 1) to remove the velvet from their antlers (autumn), and 2) and to mark territory.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by rusa deer may be confused with bark rubbing by other species of deer or rubbing by pigs. The height of the rubbing and hair caught in the bark might help distinguish which species is the culprit.
White-tailed deer
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White-tailed deer damage to planted pine sapling.
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White-tailed deer rubbing damage on bark.
During the breeding season, male white-tailed deer (stags) rub and thrash small trees to mark their territory. They use their antlers to strip the bark off small diameter trees. Sometimes this ring barks the tree, killing it.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by white-tailed deer can be confused with that done by other species of deer, and with hide rubbing by pigs. The height of the rubbing, and any fur left behind, might help distinguish which species is responsible.
Sambar deer
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Sambar deer bark damage.
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Antler rubbing by a sambar stag.
Male sambar deer (stags) will habitually rub their antlers on trees creating bare sections where the bark has been removed. Sometimes there will be shredded bark at the base of the tree. Trees can die if they are ring barked. Sambar deer can also eat bark, particularly that of coniferous trees.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by sambar deer looks similar to bark rubbing by other species of deer and rubbing by pigs. The height of the rubbing, and any fur left, might help distinguish which species is responsible.
Red deer
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Red deer damage to tree bark.
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Red deer antler rubbing damage.
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Red stag antler rubbing damage on small trees.
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Red deer bark biting damage on a lemonwood tree.
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Red deer antler rubbing on a tree.
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Red deer bite marks on a lemonwood tree.
Male red deer (stags) often rub bark off a tree using their antlers. This can kill the tree, particularly if the bark is removed from right around the tree (ring barking). Stags rub their antlers on trees for two main reasons: 1) to remove the velvet from their antlers (autumn), and 2) and to mark their territory.
Red deer also bite the bark off trees, which can also kill a tree, particularly if the tree is ring barked. It is not sure why red deer bite off bark. It could be partially territorial marking, but in deer farming situations they can strip bark because of a nutritional lack of a specific mineral(s) that the bark helps remedy.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing by red deer can be mistaken for bark rubbing by other species of deer and hide rubbing by pigs. The height of the rubbing might help distinguish which species is responsible.
Wapiti
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Wapiti damage to bark - photos needed showing height of bark rubbing or bark biting, teeth marks on a bark-bitten tree, and also of a wapiti bull rubbing antlers on a tree.
Just before the rut (breeding season) in spring, male wapiti (bulls) will rub their antlers on bark or thrash them around in shrubs to help remove the dried velvet on the outside of their hardened antlers. This behaviour will often rub bark off a tree. Wapiti, like red deer, bite the bark off trees. It is not known why deer do this but it could be related to territorial marking. Both the biting and bark rubbing can kill individual trees, particularly if the tree is ring barked by the damage.
Can be confused with:
Bark rubbing or biting by wapiti can be mistaken for bark rubbing or biting by other species of deer, particularly red deer; or by goats; or tusking or possibly hide-rubbing by pigs. The height of the rubbing might help distinguish which species is responsible. Bite marks and antler rubbing will often leave characteristic marks, whereas hide-rubbing by pigs will not.
Read more about this speciesPig
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Feral pig rubbing on a tree has damaged the bark.
Feral pigs will often rub on trees, logs and fence posts. They use the same site repeatedly and may travel some distance to use a favoured rubbing post. Rubbing posts often become coated with mud and pig hair, and sometimes tusk marks are evident. Pigs can kill trees if they rub against them too much, particularly if they remove all the bark.
Can be confused with:
Antler rubbing by deer could be confused with pigs rubbing, but pig rubbing will be low on the tree or fence post and mud and pig hair are likely to be present.
Cat
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Cat scratching damage to a cabbage tree.
Cats will claw tree trunks, as part of territorial marking and claw sharpening, leaving thin parallel scratches. They will also scratch the tree trunk as they climb up a tree.
Can be confused with:
Possums also scratch the tree while climbing. The possum scratches are usually wider and angle around the trunk. Cat scratches tend to be more vertical and the claw marks are thinner.
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